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GrassBase - The Online World Grass Flora
Descriptions
W.D. Clayton, M. Vorontsova, K.T. Harman & H. Williamson
© Copyright The Board of Trustees, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
Aulonemia viscosa
HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Rhizomes short; pachymorph. Culms erect, or scandent; 400–500 cm long; 5–15 mm diam.; woody. Culm-internodes terete; hollow; mid-green and purple; mottled; distally glabrous. Culm-nodes without obvious supra-nodal ridge; viscid. Lateral branches dendroid. Bud complement 1. Branch complement one; solitary; as thick as stem. Culm-sheaths persistent; green and purple; distinctly mottled with last colour. Leaf-sheaths glabrous on surface. Leaf-sheath oral hairs lacking. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 1–2.5 mm long. Collar with external ligule. Leaf-blade base broadly rounded; asymmetrical; with a brief petiole-like connection to sheath; petiole 0.5–0.7 cm long; petiole glabrous (viscid). Leaf-blades ovate; 21–26 cm long; 40–50 mm wide; dark green and glaucous (above/below); discolorous with last colour beneath. Leaf-blade venation without cross veins. Leaf-blade surface scaberulous; rough abaxially. Leaf-blade apex acuminate.
INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle. Peduncle glabrous (viscid).
Panicle open; pyramidal; 15–25 cm long. Primary panicle branches ascending; 1 -nate. Panicle branches viscid.
Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled. Pedicels flexuous.
FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 3–6 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets linear; laterally compressed; 15–25 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret.
GLUMES Glumes persistent; dissimilar; shorter than spikelet; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume lanceolate; 3–5 mm long; 0.5 length of upper glume; membranous; without keels; 3 -veined. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume ovate; 7–9 mm long; 0.5 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; without keels; 7 -veined. Upper glume apex obtuse.
FLORETS Fertile lemma ovate; 13–14 mm long; chartaceous; without keel; 7 -veined. Lemma apex obtuse. Palea 1 length of lemma. Palea keels scabrous. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.
FLOWER Lodicules 3. Anthers 3. Stigmas 2.
FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; ovoid; dark brown.
DISTRIBUTION South America: Mesoamericana.
NOTES Bambuseae. Fl Costaric 1993.
Please cite this publication as detailed in How to Cite Version: 3rd February 2016.
