Olmeca fulgor

HABIT Perennial; pluricaespitose. Rhizomes short; pachymorph. Stolons present. Culms scandent; 300–600 cm long; 5–10 mm diam.; woody. Culm-internodes terete; hollow; distally glabrous. Culm-nodes without obvious supra-nodal ridge. Lateral branches dendroid; intravaginal. Bud complement 1. Branch complement one; solitary. Culm-sheaths persistent; auriculate; setose on shoulders; shoulders with 10–20 mm long hairs. Culm-sheath ligule ciliolate. Culm-sheath blade lanceolate; reflexed; glabrous on surface; acuminate. Leaves 4–6 per branch. Leaf-sheaths glabrous on surface, or pilose; with tubercle-based hairs. Leaf-sheath oral hairs setose. Ligule an eciliate membrane. Leaf-blade base with a brief petiole-like connection to sheath. Leaf-blades drooping; filiform, or linear; 20–25 cm long; 10 mm wide; concolorous. Leaf-blade midrib prominent beneath. Leaf-blade venation with 8 secondary veins; with distinct cross veins. Leaf-blade surface glabrous. Leaf-blade apex attenuate.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.

Panicle open; pyramidal; 10–20 cm long. Primary panicle branches 2–6 cm long. Panicle axis glabrous. Panicle branches pubescent in axils; with prominent pulvini.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled. Pedicels glabrous.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 2 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets linear, or lanceolate; subterete; 20 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Rhachilla internodes elongated below proximal fertile floret; pubescent.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; dissimilar; shorter than spikelet; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume lanceolate; 4–5 mm long; membranous; without keels; 1(–3) -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent, or distinct. Lower glume margins ciliolate. Lower glume apex acuminate; mucronate. Upper glume lanceolate; 6–7 mm long; 0.66 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; without keels; 5–7 -veined. Upper glume margins ciliolate. Upper glume apex acuminate.

FLORETS Fertile lemma lanceolate; 10–11 mm long; chartaceous; without keel; 9 -veined. Lemma lateral veins without cross-veins, or with cross-veins. Lemma margins ciliolate. Lemma apex acute; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn 1–2 mm long overall. Palea 4–6 -veined. Palea keels ciliolate; adorned above. Palea surface puberulous; hairy on flanks. Rhachilla extension 0.5 length of fertile floret.

FLOWER Lodicules 3; 1.5–1.7 mm long; veined; ciliate. Anthers 3; 6–7 mm long. Stigmas 2.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; glabrous.

DISTRIBUTION North America: Mexico.

NOTES Bambuseae. Soderstrom 1995.

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