Chusquea glauca

HABIT Perennial. Culms scandent; pendulous at the tip; 500–600 cm long; 5–10 mm diam.; woody; without nodal roots. Culm-internodes terete; solid; mid-green, or mid-green and purple; concolorous, or mottled; antrorsely scabrous. Lateral branches dendroid; infravaginal. Bud complement 3. Branch complement several; in a clump; thinner than stem. Culm-sheaths persistent; 4.2–8.7 cm long; glabrous. Culm-sheath ligule 0.5 mm high; ciliolate. Culm-sheath blade triangular; deciduous; erect; 1.1–4.8 cm long; scabrid. Leaves 5–8 per branch. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 1–3 mm long; pubescent on abaxial surface; truncate. Collar with external ligule. Leaf-blade base with a brief petiole-like connection to sheath; petiole 0.4–0.7 cm long. Leaf-blades lanceolate; 14.4–29 cm long; 2.1–4 mm wide; glaucous. Leaf-blade venation without cross veins. Leaf-blade surface pubescent; hairy abaxially. Leaf-blade apex acuminate.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.

Panicle open; ovate; 14–18 cm long. Primary panicle branches spreading; 5–11 cm long. Panicle axis angular; pubescent. Panicle branches angular; pubescent.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled. Pedicels angular.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 2 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets elliptic; laterally compressed; 7.2–7.5 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; shorter than spikelet; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume ovate; 0.4 mm long; membranous; without keels; 0 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume surface pubescent. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume ovate; 0.5 mm long; 0.05–0.1 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; without keels; 0 -veined. Upper glume primary vein absent. Upper glume lateral veins absent. Upper glume surface pubescent. Upper glume apex acute.

FLORETS Basal sterile florets barren; without significant palea; attached to and deciduous with the fertile. Lemma of lower sterile floret ovate; 3 mm long; 0.33 length of fertile lemma; chartaceous; 1 -veined; without lateral veins; acute. Lemma of upper sterile floret ovate; 3.6 mm long; chartaceous; acute. Fertile lemma ovate; 6.7 mm long; coriaceous; without keel; 7 -veined. Lemma apex apiculate. Palea 4.5 mm long; 2 -veined.

FLOWER Lodicules 3; membranous; ciliate. Anthers 3. Stigmas 2.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; apex unappendaged.

DISTRIBUTION North America: Mexico.

NOTES Bambuseae. Clark 1995.

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