Aulonemia boliviana

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Rhizomes short; pachymorph. Culms leaning, or scandent; 5 mm diam.; woody. Culm-internodes terete; hollow. Lateral branches dendroid. Leaf-sheaths striately veined. Leaf-sheath oral hairs ciliate; erect; 1–3 mm long. Leaf-sheath auricles erect. Ligule an eciliate membrane. Leaf-blade base asymmetrical; with a brief petiole-like connection to sheath. Leaf-blades lanceolate; 10–19 cm long; 15–30 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface scabrous; glabrous. Leaf-blade apex attenuate.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.

Panicle open; ovate; effuse; 20–26 cm long. Primary panicle branches spreading. Panicle branches glabrous; with prominent pulvini.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled. Pedicels filiform; 10–45 mm long.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 6–8 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets linear; laterally compressed; 12–30 mm long; 0.5–1 mm wide; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; shorter than spikelet; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume ovate; 1–2 mm long; membranous; without keels; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume margins ciliate. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume ovate; 3–4 mm long; membranous; without keels; 7 -veined. Upper glume margins ciliate. Upper glume apex acute.

FLORETS Fertile lemma lanceolate, or oblong; 6 mm long; herbaceous; purple; without keel; 7–9 -veined. Lemma margins ciliate; hairy above. Lemma apex acute. Palea keels ciliate. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

FLOWER Lodicules 3. Anthers 3. Stigmas 2.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp.

DISTRIBUTION South America: western South America.

NOTES Bambuseae. Gr Bolivia 1997.

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