| Note - this takes you off
of our website |
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.
Chusquea circinata
HABIT Perennial. Culms erect; 500–700 cm long; 10–15 mm diam.; woody; without nodal roots. Culm-internodes terete; solid; smooth. Lateral branches dendroid. Branch complement many; girdling the culm; with 1 branch dominant; thinner than stem. Culm-sheaths antrorsely scabrous. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 0.4 mm long. Leaf-blade base with a brief petiole-like connection to sheath. Leaf-blades deciduous at the ligule; lanceolate; 4.5–5.5 cm long; 6–7 mm wide. Leaf-blade venation without cross veins. Leaf-blade surface pilose; sparsely hairy; hairy on both sides.
INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle; comprising 20–40 fertile spikelets.
Panicle contracted; linear; 5–9 cm long. Primary panicle branches appressed.
Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.
FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 2 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate; laterally compressed; 6–8 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret.
GLUMES Glumes persistent; similar; shorter than spikelet; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume ovate; 0.2–0.4 mm long; 0.75–0.9 length of upper glume; membranous; without keels; 0 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume ovate; 0.2–0.4 mm long; 0.02–0.05 length of adjacent fertile lemma; without keels; 0 -veined. Upper glume primary vein absent. Upper glume lateral veins absent. Upper glume apex acute.
FLORETS Basal sterile florets similar; barren; without significant palea; attached to and deciduous with the fertile. Lemma of lower sterile floret lanceolate; 6–6.4 mm long; 0.75–0.8 length of fertile lemma; membranous; 5–7 -veined; obtuse; mucronate. Lemma of upper sterile floret lanceolate; 6.1–6.6 mm long; 1 length of lower sterile floret; membranous; obtuse; mucronate. Fertile lemma lanceolate; 6.3–7.5 mm long; coriaceous; without keel; 7 -veined. Lemma margins ciliolate; hairy above. Lemma apex acute. Palea 7 mm long; 6–8 -veined. Palea surface glabrous.
FLOWER Lodicules 3; 1.5–1.8 mm long; membranous; veined; ciliate. Anthers 3; 4.1–4.3 mm long. Stigmas 2.
FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; apex unappendaged.
DISTRIBUTION North America: Mexico.
NOTES Bambuseae. Sod & Cald 1995.
Please cite this publication as detailed in How to Cite Version: 3rd February 2016.
