Aulonemia humillima

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Rhizomes short; pachymorph. Culms erect; 50–70 cm long; woody. Culm-internodes terete. Lateral branches dendroid. Bud complement 1. Branch complement one; solitary; as thick as stem. Leaf-sheaths outer margin hairy. Leaf-sheath oral hairs setose. Ligule an eciliate membrane. Leaf-blade base with a brief petiole-like connection to sheath. Leaf-blades lanceolate; 6–12 cm long; 5–8 mm wide. Leaf-blade venation without cross veins.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.

Panicle open; pyramidal; effuse; 10 cm long. Panicle branches capillary.

Spikelets ascending, or spreading; solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled. Pedicels filiform; 10–20 mm long.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 2–3 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets linear; laterally compressed; 9–10 mm long; 0.5–1 mm wide; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Rhachilla internodes 1.5–2 mm long.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; shorter than spikelet; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume lanceolate; 0.5 length of upper glume; membranous; without keels; 3 -veined. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume ovate; 0.5 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; without keels; 7 -veined. Upper glume apex obtuse.

FLORETS Fertile lemma lanceolate; 4.4–4.6 mm long; chartaceous; without keel; 7–9 -veined. Lemma apex acute. 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 Peru 1995.

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