Aulonemia pumila

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Rhizomes short; pachymorph. Culms erect, or geniculately ascending; 50–100 cm long; 2–3 mm diam.; woody. Culm-internodes terete; with small lumen; 8–10 cm long; distally pubescent. Culm-nodes swollen; with distinct supra-nodal ridge. Lateral branches dendroid. Bud complement 1. Branch complement one; solitary. Culm-sheaths 5–5.5 cm long; without auricles; glabrous on shoulders, or setose on shoulders; shoulders with 2–6 mm long hairs. Culm-sheath blade lanceolate; reflexed; 0.8 cm long. Leaf-sheaths glabrous on surface, or pubescent; outer margin glabrous. Leaf-sheath oral hairs setose; erect; 5–6 mm long. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 0.5 mm long. Collar with external ligule. Leaf-blade base with a brief petiole-like connection to sheath; petiole 0.1–0.15 cm long. Leaf-blades reflexed; ovate; 5–7 cm long; 6–14 mm wide. Leaf-blade venation without cross veins. Leaf-blade surface glabrous, or pubescent; hairy abaxially. Leaf-blade apex acuminate.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.

Panicle open; oblong; dense; 5.5–11 cm long. Primary panicle branches appressed, or ascending. Panicle axis pubescent. Panicle branches angular; pubescent.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled. Pedicels angular; 2–9 mm long; pubescent.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 2–3 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets oblong; laterally compressed; 8.4–11.2 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret (or the lowest persistent). Floret callus evident; 1–2 mm long.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; shorter than spikelet; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume lanceolate; 3 mm long; membranous; without keels; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume surface pubescent. Lower glume apex acute; awned; 1 -awned. Lower glume awn 6 mm long. Upper glume ovate; 5 mm long; membranous; without keels; 3–5 -veined. Upper glume surface pubescent. Upper glume apex acuminate; awned; 1 -awned. Upper glume awn 3 mm long.

FLORETS Fertile lemma ovate; 5.5–9.2 mm long; chartaceous; without keel; 5–7 -veined. Lemma surface pubescent. Lemma apex setaceously attenuate. Palea 4.3–6.3 mm long; 4 -veined. Palea keels ciliate. Palea surface pubescent; hairy on back. 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. Clark 1995.

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