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.

Ampelocalamus patellaris

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Rhizomes short; pachymorph. Culms erect; 700–1000 cm long; 25–40 mm diam.; woody. Culm-internodes terete; hollow; 30–45 cm long; dark green. Culm-nodes pubescent. Lateral branches dendroid. Culm-sheaths persistent; 25–30 cm long; 3–4 times as long as wide; hispid; with appressed hairs; with dark brown hairs; truncate at apex. Culm-sheath ligule fimbriate. Culm-sheath blade lanceolate; reflexed; 15 cm long. Leaf-sheaths keeled; striately veined; outer margin hairy. Ligule a ciliate membrane. Leaf-blade base asymmetrical; with a brief petiole-like connection to sheath; petiole 0.5 cm long. Leaf-blades lanceolate; 20–40 cm long; 25–100 mm wide. Leaf-blade midrib conspicuous. Leaf-blade venation with 16–20 secondary veins. Leaf-blade surface scaberulous; rough abaxially; glabrous. Leaf-blade margins scaberulous. Leaf-blade apex acuminate.

INFLORESCENCE Synflorescence bractiferous; clustered at the nodes; in globose clusters; 1–2.5 cm long; dense; with glumaceous subtending bracts; with axillary buds at base of spikelet; prophyllate below lateral spikelets; leafless between clusters.

Fertile spikelets sessile.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 2–3 fertile florets; with a barren rhachilla extension. Spikelets ovate; laterally compressed; 10 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Rhachilla internodes suppressed between florets.

GLUMES Glumes several; 1–2 empty glumes; persistent; similar; shorter than spikelet. Upper glume ovate; chartaceous; without keels. Upper glume apex acuminate.

FLORETS Fertile lemma orbicular; 7 mm long; chartaceous; without keel; 9–11 -veined. Lemma surface pubescent. Lemma margins ciliate. Lemma apex acute. Palea chartaceous; 4 -veined; 2-keeled but the uppermost without keels. Palea keels ciliate. Palea surface pubescent.

FLOWER Lodicules absent, or 1, or 2; ciliate. Anthers 6; purple; anther tip with extended connective and pubescent. Filaments united in a tube. Stigmas 3; plumose. Ovary umbonate; pubescent on apex.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp.

DISTRIBUTION Asia-temperate: China. Asia-tropical: India and Indo-China.

NOTES Arundinarieae. Gamble 1996.

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