Bambusa blumeana

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Rhizomes short; pachymorph. Culms erect; 50–100 mm diam.; woody; with root thorns from the nodes. Culm-internodes terete; hollow; distally glabrous. Lateral branches dendroid; spreading. Buds or branches present on lower quarter of culm. Culm-sheaths 15–30 cm long; hispid; with dark brown hairs; auriculate; ciliate on shoulders. Culm-sheath ligule 5 mm high; ciliate. Culm-sheath blade ovate; narrower than sheath; reflexed; pubescent; acute. Leaf-sheath oral hairs lacking, or ciliate. Leaf-sheath auricles falcate. Ligule an eciliate membrane. Collar with external ligule. Leaf-blade base cuneate, or truncate; with a brief petiole-like connection to sheath. Leaf-blades lanceolate; 10–20 cm long; 10–20 mm wide.

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

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 5–12 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets lanceolate; laterally compressed; 30–45 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Rhachilla internodes definite; zig-zag; 4 mm long; eventually visible between lemmas; pubescent.

GLUMES Glumes several.

FLORETS Fertile lemma lanceolate; 6–8 mm long; without keel. Lemma apex acute. Palea 1 length of lemma. Palea keels ciliate. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

FLOWER Lodicules 3. Anthers 6; 4–5 mm long. Stigmas 3. Ovary umbonate; pubescent on apex.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp.

DISTRIBUTION Asia-temperate: China and eastern Asia. Asia-tropical: Indo-China and Malesia. Pacific: northwestern.

NOTES Bambuseae. Holttum 1995.

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