Chusquea leonardiorum

HABIT Perennial. Culms arching, or scandent; 60–500 cm long; 2–25 mm diam.; woody. Culm-internodes semiterete; 4–14 cm long; distally glabrous, or hirsute. Culm-nodes without obvious supra-nodal ridge. Lateral branches dendroid; extravaginal. Bud complement 19–33. Branch complement many; in a clump; with subequal branches; thinner than stem. Culm-sheaths persistent; 11–24.5 cm long; retrorsely scabrous; pilose; hairy below. Culm-sheath ligule 0.5–2 mm high. Culm-sheath blade triangular; indistinctly demarcated from sheath; erect; 0.7–5.7 cm long; pubescent. Leaves 3–4 per branch. Leaf-sheaths striately veined; pubescent; outer margin glabrous, or hairy. Leaf-sheath auricles erect; 1–7 mm long. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 1–3 mm long. Collar with external ligule. Leaf-blade base with a brief petiole-like connection to sheath; petiole 0.1–0.2 cm long. Leaf-blades linear; 7.5–19 cm long; 2–3 mm wide; stiff; glaucous. Leaf-blade venation without cross veins. Leaf-blade surface scaberulous; rough abaxially. Leaf-blade margins scaberulous. Leaf-blade apex attenuate.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle; subtended by an unspecialized leaf-sheath and bracts; embraced at base by subtending leaf.

Panicle open; linear; 6–10.5 cm long. Primary panicle branches 1.5–3 cm long. Panicle axis angular; glabrous. Panicle branches angular; glabrous.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled. Pedicels 1–4 mm long.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 2 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets oblong; laterally compressed; 5–7 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret.

GLUMES Glumes both absent or obscure, or two; persistent; shorter than spikelet; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume oblate; 0.1–0.2 mm long; membranous; without keels. Lower glume apex obtuse. Upper glume oblate; 0.1–0.2 mm long; 0.02 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; without keels; 0 -veined. Upper glume primary vein absent. Upper glume lateral veins absent. 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; 2.4–4.2 mm long; 0.5–0.66 length of fertile lemma; chartaceous; 3–5 -veined; acute. Lemma of upper sterile floret ovate; 2.7–4.1 mm long; chartaceous; acute; mucronate. Fertile lemma ovate; 4.5–6 mm long; coriaceous; without keel; 7 -veined. Lemma surface pubescent; hairy above; hairy between veins. Lemma margins scaberulous. Lemma apex acute; mucronate. Palea 4–5.7 mm long; 4 -veined. Palea surface scabrous. Palea apex with excurrent keel veins.

FLOWER Lodicules 3; 0.6–1 mm long; membranous; ciliate. Anthers 3; 1.5–3 mm long. Stigmas 2.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; apex unappendaged.

DISTRIBUTION South America: western South America.

NOTES Bambuseae. Clark 2001.

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