GrassBase - The Online World Grass Flora

Descriptions

W.D. Clayton, M. Vorontsova, K.T. Harman & H. Williamson

© Copyright The Board of Trustees, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

Bambusa tulda

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Rhizomes short; pachymorph. Culms erect; 600–2000 cm long; 50–100 mm diam.; woody; without nodal roots. Culm-internodes terete; hollow; 36–60 cm long; mid-green, or grey. Lateral branches dendroid; spreading. Branch complement many. Culm-sheaths 15–23 cm long; 1 times as long as wide; pubescent; with appressed hairs; with tawny hairs; truncate at apex, or convex at apex; auriculate; ciliate on shoulders. Culm-sheath blade triangular; cordate; erect. Leaves cauline. Leaf-sheaths striately veined; glabrous on surface. Leaf-sheath oral hairs setose; pale. Leaf-sheath auricles falcate. Ligule an eciliate membrane. Collar with external ligule. Leaf-blade base with a brief petiole-like connection to sheath; petiole 0.2 cm long; petiole pubescent. Leaf-blades linear, or oblong; 15–25 cm long; 17–37 mm wide. Leaf-blade midrib evident. Leaf-blade venation with 12–20 secondary veins. Leaf-blade surface puberulous; hairy abaxially. Leaf-blade margins scabrous. Leaf-blade apex acuminate.

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

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 4–6 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets linear; subterete; 25–75 mm long; 5 mm wide; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Rhachilla internodes definite; clavate; eventually visible between lemmas; pilose; hairy at tip.

GLUMES Glumes several; 2–4 empty glumes.

FLORETS Fertile lemma ovate; 12–25 mm long; 7–8 mm wide; without keel. Lemma margins eciliate, or ciliolate. Lemma apex acute, or acuminate; mucronate. Palea 7–9 -veined. Palea keels ciliate. Palea apex pubescent. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

FLOWER Lodicules 3; membranous; veined; ciliate. Anthers 6; 7.5–10 mm long; purple; anther tip smooth. Stigmas 3. Ovary umbonate; pubescent on apex.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; oblong; sulcate on hilar side; 7.5 mm long; hairy at apex.

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

NOTES Bambuseae. Gamble 1995.

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