Aulonemia herzogiana

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Rhizomes short; pachymorph. Culms 300–6700 cm long; 0.5–4 mm diam.; woody. Culm-internodes alternately elongated and bunched; terete; hollow. Lateral branches dendroid. Branch complement many. Leaf-sheaths smooth. Leaf-sheath oral hairs setose; erect; 10–40 mm long. Ligule an eciliate membrane. Leaf-blade base with a brief petiole-like connection to sheath. Leaf-blades lanceolate; 15–30 cm long; 10–35 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface scabrous; glabrous, or pilose, or hispid; sparsely hairy. Leaf-blade apex acuminate.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.

Panicle open; ovate; dense; 10–30 cm long. Panicle branches flexuous; scabrous.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets sessile, or pedicelled. Pedicels filiform; 5–20 mm long.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 4–6 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets linear; laterally compressed; 15–30 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; 1–4 mm long; membranous; without keels; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex acute; awned; 1 -awned. Lower glume awn 1–3 mm long. Upper glume ovate; 3–4 mm long; membranous; without keels. Upper glume apex acute; awned; 1 -awned. Upper glume awn 0.5–5 mm long.

FLORETS Fertile lemma lanceolate; 8–10 mm long; coriaceous; without keel; 7 -veined. Lemma surface pubescent. Lemma apex acute; muticous, or awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn 3.5 mm long overall. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

FLOWER Lodicules 3. Anthers 3; 6 mm long. 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.