Acidosasa venusta

HABIT Perennial. Rhizomes elongated; leptomorph. Culms 140 cm long; 8.5 mm diam.; woody. Culm-internodes terete; hollow; distally glabrous, or pilose. Culm-nodes with distinct supra-nodal ridge; pubescent. Lateral branches dendroid. Branch complement three; with subequal branches. Culm-sheaths glabrous, or pilose; with appressed hairs; glabrous on margins, or hairy on margins; without auricles; glabrous on shoulders, or ciliate on shoulders. Culm-sheath ligule ciliolate. Culm-sheath blade ovate; deciduous; erect, or spreading; scabrid. Leaf-sheaths glabrous on surface. Leaf-sheath oral hairs scanty, or lacking. Leaf-sheath auricles absent. Ligule a ciliolate membrane; pubescent on abaxial surface. Leaf-blade base with a brief petiole-like connection to sheath. Leaf-blades lanceolate; 10–20 cm long; 14–26 mm wide. Leaf-blade venation with obscure cross veins. Leaf-blade surface glabrous. Leaf-blade apex attenuate.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes.

Racemes 1; single; 11–15 cm long; bearing few fertile spikelets; bearing 3–4 fertile spikelets on each.

Spikelets ascending, or pendulous; solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled. Pedicels 10–30 mm long; puberulous.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets lanceolate; laterally compressed; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Rhachilla internodes 6 mm long; scaberulous; pubescent; hairy at tip.

GLUMES Glumes two; persistent; similar; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume ovate; 4–6 mm long; chartaceous; 1-keeled; keeled above. Lower glume surface smooth, or scabrous; rough above. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume lanceolate, or ovate; 5–8 mm long; chartaceous; 1-keeled; keeled above. Upper glume surface smooth, or scabrous; rough above. Upper glume apex acute.

FLORETS Fertile lemma oblong, or ovate; 13 mm long; chartaceous; without keel. Lemma lateral veins with cross-veins. Lemma surface hispidulous. Lemma margins ciliolate; hairy above. Lemma apex acute, or acuminate. Palea 1 length of lemma. Palea keels approximate; ciliolate; adorned above. Palea surface puberulous; hairy on margins. Palea apex obtuse. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

FLOWER Lodicules 3; ciliate. Anthers 6. Stigmas 3. Ovary glabrous.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; apex unappendaged.

DISTRIBUTION Asia-temperate: China.

NOTES Arundinarieae. McClure 2002.

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