Bambusa rutila

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Rhizomes short; pachymorph. Culms erect; 1000–1200 cm long; 60 mm diam.; woody; with root thorns from the nodes. Culm-internodes terete; hollow. Lateral branches dendroid; reflexed. Buds or branches present on lower quarter of culm. Branch complement several. Culm-sheaths deciduous; glabrous; concave at apex, or convex at apex, or truncate at apex; auriculate; with unequal auricles; setose on shoulders; shoulders with curved hairs; shoulders with 4–10 mm long hairs. Culm-sheath ligule 4–5 mm high; dentate, or fimbriate. Culm-sheath blade triangular; demarcated but persistent; erect; scabrid and with ciliate margins. Leaves cauline; 6–10 per branch. Leaf-sheaths glabrous on surface, or puberulous; outer margin glabrous. Leaf-sheath oral hairs lacking, or ciliate. Leaf-sheath auricles absent, or falcate. Ligule an eciliate membrane, or a ciliolate membrane. Collar with external ligule. Leaf-blade base with a brief petiole-like connection to sheath; petiole 0.2–0.3 cm long; petiole glabrous. Leaf-blades linear, or lanceolate; 15–30 cm long; 25–45 mm wide. Leaf-blade venation with 10–16 secondary veins; without cross veins. Leaf-blade surface glabrous, or puberulous; hairy abaxially. Leaf-blade apex acuminate.

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 7–9 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets linear, or lanceolate; laterally compressed; 25–30 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Rhachilla internodes definite; 2–3 mm long.

GLUMES Glumes several; comprising 3–8 gemmiferous bracts; 0 empty glumes.

FLORETS Fertile lemma lanceolate; 7–8 mm long; shiny; without keel. Lemma margins ciliolate; hairy above. Lemma apex obtuse, or acute; scabrous. Palea keels ciliolate; adorned above. Palea apex acute; pubescent. 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.

DISTRIBUTION Asia-temperate: China.

NOTES Bambuseae. McClure 1996.

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