Bambusa khasiana

HABIT Perennial; culms solitary. Rhizomes elongated; pachymorph. Culms erect; 1000–1500 cm long; 25–30 mm diam.; woody; without nodal roots. Culm-internodes terete; hollow; 13–38 cm long; dark green; distally glabrous, or pubescent. Lateral branches dendroid. Culm-sheaths 13–15 cm long; 1.2 times as long as wide; pubescent; hairy throughout; with appressed hairs; with tawny hairs; truncate at apex; without auricles. Culm-sheath blade triangular; acuminate. Leaves cauline. Leaf-sheaths striately veined; glabrous on surface. Leaf-sheath oral hairs setose; deciduous. Leaf-sheath auricles absent. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 1–2 mm long; obtuse. Collar with external ligule. Leaf-blade base with a brief petiole-like connection to sheath; petiole 0.5–0.7 cm long. Leaf-blades lanceolate; 10–23 cm long; 25–35 mm wide. Leaf-blade midrib conspicuous. Leaf-blade venation with 12–16 secondary veins. Leaf-blade surface glabrous. Leaf-blade apex acuminate; hairy.

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; leafless between clusters.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 2–3 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets lanceolate; laterally compressed; 15–20 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Rhachilla internodes definite.

GLUMES Glumes several; 1–4 empty glumes; persistent; shorter than spikelet.

FLORETS Fertile lemma ovate; 6–7 mm long; without keel; 11–13 -veined. Lemma apex acute; mucronate. Palea keels ciliolate. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

FLOWER Lodicules 3; membranous; veined; ciliate. Anthers 6; anther tip smooth. Stigmas 3. Ovary umbonate; pubescent on apex.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp.

DISTRIBUTION Asia-tropical: India.

NOTES Bambuseae. Gamble 1995.

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