Cephalostachyum flavescens

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Rhizomes short; pachymorph. Culms erect; 300–600 cm long; 25–38 mm diam.; woody. Culm-internodes terete; hollow; yellow, or dark green; smooth. Lateral branches dendroid. Culm-sheaths 10–35 cm long; 1 times as long as wide; glabrous, or hispid; with appressed hairs; with tawny hairs; auriculate; setose on shoulders; shoulders with curved hairs; shoulders with 2–5 mm long hairs. Culm-sheath ligule entire, or dentate. Culm-sheath blade ovate, or triangular; cordate; erect; 2.5–9 cm long. Leaf-sheaths striately veined. Leaf-sheath oral hairs scanty; deciduous. Leaf-sheath auricles erect. Ligule an eciliate membrane. Leaf-blade base with a brief petiole-like connection to sheath. Leaf-blades linear; 7–19 cm long; 10–20 mm wide. Leaf-blade midrib evident. Leaf-blade venation with 8–12 secondary veins. Leaf-blade surface glabrous, or pilose; sparsely hairy; hairy abaxially. Leaf-blade margins scabrous. Leaf-blade apex acuminate; antrorsely scabrous.

INFLORESCENCE Synflorescence bractiferous; clustered at the nodes; in globose clusters; dense; 5–6 cm between clusters; with glumaceous subtending bracts; with axillary buds at base of spikelet; prophyllate below lateral spikelets.

Fertile spikelets sessile.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 fertile florets; with a barren rhachilla extension. Spikelets linear; laterally compressed; 10 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret.

GLUMES Glumes several; 1–2 empty glumes; persistent; shorter than spikelet. Upper glume lanceolate, or ovate; chartaceous; without keels; 7–9 -veined. Upper glume surface pubescent. Upper glume hairs white. Upper glume apex acuminate; mucronate.

FLORETS Fertile lemma lanceolate, or ovate; 10 mm long; chartaceous; without keel; 7–9 -veined. Lemma hairs white. Lemma apex acuminate; mucronate. Palea chartaceous. Palea keels approximate. Palea surface pilose; hairy on margins. Palea apex dentate; 2 -fid; with excurrent keel veins.

FLOWER Lodicules 3; 5 mm long; veined; ciliate. Anthers 6; yellow, or green; anther tip smooth. Filaments free. Stigmas 3. Ovary with a steeple-like appendage; glabrous.

FRUIT Caryopsis with free brittle pericarp.

DISTRIBUTION Asia-tropical: Indo-China.

NOTES Bambuseae. Gamble 1996.

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