Chusquea liebmannii

HABIT Perennial. Culms arching, or scandent; 300–1000 cm long; 10–25 mm diam.; woody; with root thorns from the nodes. Culm-internodes terete; solid; 10.5–27.5 cm long; yellow, or brown; smooth. Lateral branches dendroid; infravaginal. Bud complement 100. Branch complement many; girdling the culm; with subequal branches; thinner than stem. Culm-sheaths deciduous; 9.2–21.5 cm long; antrorsely scabrous. Culm-sheath ligule 0.5 mm high. Culm-sheath blade triangular; indistinctly demarcated from sheath; erect; 2.5–9 cm long; scabrid. Leaves 4–9 per branch. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 0.5–1 mm long; truncate. Collar with external ligule. Leaf-blade base with a brief petiole-like connection to sheath; petiole 0.1–0.3 cm long; petiole pubescent. Leaf-blades lanceolate; 2.7–8.5 cm long; 4–15 mm wide. Leaf-blade venation without cross veins. Leaf-blade surface glabrous.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle; comprising 19–26 fertile spikelets.

Panicle open; ovate; 10–15 cm long. Primary panicle branches spreading; 2–4 cm long. Panicle axis angular; glabrous. Panicle branches angular; glabrous.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled. Pedicels angular; 2–10 mm long; glabrous.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 2 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets elliptic; laterally compressed; 7.2–9 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; shorter than spikelet; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume ovate; 0.6–1 mm long; membranous; without keels; 0 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume ovate; 0.8–1.4 mm long; membranous; without keels; 0–1 -veined. Upper glume primary vein absent, or obscure. Upper glume lateral veins absent. Upper glume apex obtuse, or acute.

FLORETS Basal sterile florets barren; without significant palea; attached to and deciduous with the fertile. Lemma of lower sterile floret ovate; 2.4–3.1 mm long; 0.25–0.33 length of fertile lemma; chartaceous; 1–3 -veined; without lateral veins, or distinctly veined; acute. Lemma of upper sterile floret ovate; 3.4–4 mm long; chartaceous; acute. Fertile lemma ovate; 7.5–8 mm long; coriaceous; without keel; 9–11 -veined. Lemma lateral veins prominent. Lemma apex apiculate. Palea 7.3–8 mm long; 4 -veined. Palea keels contiguous above a sulcus.

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

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; apex unappendaged.

DISTRIBUTION North America: Mexico. South America: Mesoamericana.

NOTES Bambuseae. Clark 1995.

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