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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 fendleri
HABIT Perennial. Rhizomes elongated; leptomorph. Culms arching, or scandent; pendulous at the tip; 400–800 cm long; 10–20 mm diam.; woody; with root thorns from the nodes. Culm-internodes terete; solid; 20–38 cm long. Lateral branches dendroid. Branch complement many; in a clump; with subequal branches; thinner than stem. Culm-sheaths persistent. Leaves 5–6 per branch. Leaf-sheaths glabrous on surface; outer margin hairy. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 0.5 mm long. Collar with external ligule. Leaf-blade base with a brief petiole-like connection to sheath. Leaf-blades lanceolate; 10–15 cm long; 8–17 mm wide. Leaf-blade apex attenuate.
INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle; embraced at base by subtending leaf.
Panicle spiciform; linear; 5–12 cm long. Panicle axis angular; glabrous.
Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.
FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 2 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets elliptic; laterally compressed; 6–8 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret.
GLUMES Glumes persistent; shorter than spikelet; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume ovate; 1.8–2.8 mm long; membranous; without keels. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume ovate; 4–5.1 mm long; 0.5 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; without keels. Upper glume apex obtuse.
FLORETS Basal sterile florets barren; without significant palea; attached to and deciduous with the fertile. Lemma of lower sterile floret ovate; 3 mm long; 0.5 length of fertile lemma; chartaceous; 3 -veined; acute; mucronate. Lemma of upper sterile floret ovate; 4 mm long; chartaceous; acute; mucronate. Fertile lemma elliptic; 6–8 mm long; coriaceous; without keel; 7 -veined. Lemma lateral veins prominent. Lemma margins eciliate. Lemma apex acute.
FLOWER Lodicules 3; membranous. Anthers 3. Stigmas 2.
FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; apex unappendaged.
DISTRIBUTION South America: northern South America and western South America.
NOTES Bambuseae. Munro 2001.
Please cite this publication as detailed in How to Cite Version: 3rd February 2016.
