Pleioblastus humilis

HABIT Perennial. Rhizomes elongated; leptomorph. Culms erect; 100–200 cm long; 4–7 mm diam.; woody. Culm-internodes terete; hollow; distally glabrous. Culm-nodes glabrous, or pubescent. Lateral branches lacking, or sparse. Culm-sheaths glabrous. Leaf-sheaths pilose. Leaf-sheath oral hairs setose; pale. Ligule an eciliate membrane, or a ciliolate membrane. Leaf-blade base with a brief petiole-like connection to sheath. Leaf-blades deciduous at the ligule; lanceolate; 15–25 cm long; 15–25 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface glabrous, or pilose; sparsely hairy; hairy adaxially. Leaf-blade apex acuminate.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes.

Racemes 1; single; bearing few fertile spikelets; bearing 2–4 fertile spikelets on each.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 5–8 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets oblong; laterally compressed; 40–60 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Rhachilla internodes 5–6 mm long; eventually visible between lemmas.

GLUMES Glumes two; persistent; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume linear; 6–7 mm long. Lower glume apex attenuate. Upper glume lanceolate; 9–12 mm long; chartaceous; without keels. Upper glume apex attenuate.

FLORETS Fertile lemma elliptic; 12–15 mm long; chartaceous; without keel; 11–13 -veined. Lemma lateral veins with cross-veins. Lemma apex acuminate. Palea 1 length of lemma. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

FLOWER Lodicules 3. Anthers 3. Stigmas 3.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; apex unappendaged.

DISTRIBUTION Asia-temperate: Caucasus and eastern Asia.

NOTES Arundinarieae. Ind. Jap. Bam. 2002.

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