Bambusa distegia

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Rhizomes short; pachymorph. Culms erect; erect at the tip, or inclined at the tip; 1000 cm long; 45 mm diam.; woody. Culm-internodes terete; with small lumen; 20–50 cm long; distally pruinose and pubescent. Culm-nodes pubescent. Lateral branches dendroid; ascending, or spreading. Branch complement many; in a clump. Culm-sheaths deciduous; 20–26 cm long; 0.5 length of internode; coriaceous; hispid; with tawny hairs; truncate at apex; without auricles; glabrous on shoulders, or ciliate on shoulders; shoulders with 3–5 mm long hairs. Culm-sheath ligule 1–2 mm high; dentate, or dentate and ciliate. Culm-sheath blade lanceolate, or triangular; spreading; 1.3–13.5 cm long; 5–32 mm wide; glabrous on surface; acuminate. Leaf-sheaths 3.5–4.8 cm long; hispid; with reflexed hairs. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 0.5–1 mm long; truncate. Leaf-blade base with a brief petiole-like connection to sheath; petiole 0.1–0.2 cm long. Leaf-blades lanceolate; 5–16 cm long; 8–14 mm wide. Leaf-blade venation with 10–12 secondary veins. Leaf-blade surface pubescent; hairy abaxially. Leaf-blade margins scabrous. Leaf-blade apex acuminate.

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; leafless between clusters.

Fertile spikelets sessile.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 4–6 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets ovate; laterally compressed; 13–18 mm long; 5–7 mm wide; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Rhachilla internodes definite; 1–2 mm long; glabrous.

GLUMES Glumes several; 1–2 empty glumes; persistent; similar; shorter than spikelet.

FLORETS Fertile lemma ovate; 8–10 mm long; chartaceous; without keel. Lemma margins ciliate. Lemma apex acuminate. Palea chartaceous; 4 -veined; 2-keeled but the uppermost without keels. Palea keels ciliate. Palea surface pilose; hairy on margins.

FLOWER Lodicules 3; 2–4 mm long. Anthers 6; 5–6 mm long; anther tip penicillate. Filaments 8 mm long. Stigmas 1–2; pubescent. Ovary umbonate; pubescent on apex.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; fusiform; 6 mm long.

DISTRIBUTION Asia-temperate: China.

NOTES Bambuseae. Keng 1995.

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