Bambusa heterostachya

HABIT Perennial; culms solitary. Rhizomes short; pachymorph. Culms 600–1000 cm long; 30–60 mm diam.; woody; without nodal roots. Culm-internodes terete; hollow; light green and mid-green; striped. Lateral branches dendroid. Buds or branches absent from lower quarter of culm. Culm-sheaths 12 cm long; hispid; with black hairs; auriculate; with 10 mm high auricles; setose on shoulders; shoulders with curved hairs; shoulders with 15 mm long hairs. Culm-sheath ligule 6 mm high; ciliate. Culm-sheath blade triangular; cordate; erect; 7 cm long; 50 mm wide; with ciliate margins; acuminate. Leaf-sheath oral hairs lacking. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 1–2 mm long. Collar with external ligule. Leaf-blade base with a brief petiole-like connection to sheath. Leaf-blades lanceolate; 15–20 cm long; 20–25 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 8–10 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets linear; laterally compressed; 40 mm long; 8–10 mm wide; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Rhachilla internodes definite; 2 mm long.

GLUMES Glumes several.

FLORETS Fertile lemma lanceolate; 15–20 mm long; without keel. Lemma apex acute. Palea 10 -veined. Palea keels ciliate. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

FLOWER Lodicules 3; 3 mm long; ciliate. Anthers 6; 8 mm long; purple; anther tip penicillate. Filaments united in a tube. Stigmas 1–3. Ovary umbonate.

DISTRIBUTION Asia-tropical: Malesia.

NOTES Bambuseae. Holttum 1995.

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