GrassBase - The Online World Grass Flora

Descriptions

W.D. Clayton, M. Vorontsova, K.T. Harman & H. Williamson

© Copyright The Board of Trustees, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

Dendrocalamus nianhei

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Rhizomes short; pachymorph. Culms erect; pendulous at the tip; 2000–2200 cm long; 180–240 mm diam.; woody. Culm-internodes terete; hollow; 26–29 cm long; distally pruinose. Lateral branches dendroid; arising from mid culm. Bud complement 1. Branch complement many; with subequal branches. Culm-sheaths deciduous; 24–33 cm long; 0.5 times as long as wide; coriaceous; pubescent; with dark brown hairs; hairy on margins; concave at apex; without auricles; setose on shoulders. Culm-sheath ligule 7–9 mm high; dentate. Culm-sheath blade triangular; erect; 6–8 cm long; hispid; acute. Leaves (8–)10–14 per branch. Leaf-sheaths pilose; hairs yellow. Leaf-sheath auricles absent. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 2–4 mm long. Leaf-blade base with a brief petiole-like connection to sheath; petiole 0.8–0.9 cm long. Leaf-blades lanceolate, or oblong; 30–56 cm long; 50–175 mm wide. Leaf-blade venation with 28–34 secondary veins; with distinct cross veins. Leaf-blade surface scabrous; rough abaxially. Leaf-blade apex acute.

INFLORESCENCE Synflorescence bractiferous; clustered at the nodes; in stellate clusters (of 3–5 spikelets); 1.5–5 cm between clusters; with glumaceous subtending bracts; with axillary buds at base of spikelet; prophyllate below lateral spikelets; with 1-keeled prophylls; leafless between clusters.

Fertile spikelets sessile.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 5–6 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate; laterally compressed; compressed slightly; 12–16 mm long; 4–7 mm wide; falling entire. Rhachilla internodes suppressed between florets.

GLUMES Glumes two; 3–4 empty glumes; similar; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume lanceolate; chartaceous; without keels. Lower glume apex acute; mucronate. Upper glume ovate; 7.3–10 mm long; chartaceous; without keels. Upper glume margins pubescent. Upper glume apex acute.

FLORETS Fertile florets increasing in size upwards. Fertile lemma ovate; 9.7–14.9 mm long; 9.3–11.9 mm wide; chartaceous; without keel. Lemma surface puberulous. Lemma apex acute. Palea lanceolate; 11.7–12.4 mm long; chartaceous; 6–11 -veined; 2-keeled but the uppermost without keels. Palea keels ciliolate. Palea surface pubescent; hairy on flanks. Palea apex dentate; 2 -fid.

FLOWER Lodicules absent, or 1, or 2. Anthers 6; 7.4–8 mm long; yellow; anther tip penicillate. Filaments free. Stigmas 1; pubescent. Ovary pubescent on apex.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp.

DISTRIBUTION Asia-tropical: Indo-China.

NOTES Bambuseae. Nguyen & Le 2014.

Please cite this publication as detailed in How to Cite Version: 3rd February 2016.