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Descriptions

W.D. Clayton, M. Vorontsova, K.T. Harman & H. Williamson

© Copyright The Board of Trustees, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

Bambusa balcooa

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Rhizomes short; pachymorph. Culms erect; 1600–2000 cm long; 75–150 mm diam.; woody; without nodal roots. Culm-internodes terete; with small lumen; 40–45 cm long; dark green. Culm-nodes swollen; pubescent. Lateral branches dendroid. Buds or branches present on lower quarter of culm. Culm-sheaths 25–35 cm long; 1.1 times as long as wide; hairy on margins; truncate at apex; without auricles; ciliate on shoulders. Culm-sheath blade triangular; 15–20 cm long; pubescent. Leaves cauline. Leaf-sheaths striately veined; pubescent; hairs white. Leaf-sheath oral hairs scanty, or lacking; deciduous. Ligule an eciliate membrane. Collar with external ligule. Leaf-blade base broadly rounded; with a brief petiole-like connection to sheath. Leaf-blades lanceolate, or oblong; 15–30 cm long; 25–50 mm wide; glandular. Leaf-blade midrib conspicuous. Leaf-blade venation with 14–22 secondary veins. Leaf-blade surface puberulous; hairy abaxially. Leaf-blade apex acuminate; retrorsely scabrous.

INFLORESCENCE Synflorescence bractiferous; clustered at the nodes; in globose clusters; dense; with glumaceous subtending bracts; with axillary buds at base of spikelet; prophyllate below lateral spikelets.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 4–6 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets lanceolate; laterally compressed; 7–15 mm long; 5–7 mm wide; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Rhachilla internodes definite.

GLUMES Glumes several; 0–2 empty glumes; persistent; shorter than spikelet.

FLORETS Fertile lemma ovate; 6–7 mm long; without keel. Lemma margins ciliate. Lemma apex acute. Palea 1 length of lemma. Palea keels pubescent. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

FLOWER Lodicules 3; membranous; veined; ciliate. Anthers 6; anther tip with extended connective. Stigmas 3; plumose. Ovary umbonate; pubescent on apex.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp.

DISTRIBUTION Africa: south. Asia-tropical: India and Indo-China. Australasia: Australia. Pacific: northwestern and north-central.

NOTES Bambuseae. Gamble 1995.

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