Chusquea linearis

HABIT Perennial. Culms erect, or scandent; 50–200 cm long; 3–4 mm diam.; woody; without nodal roots. Culm-internodes terete; solid; 2–7 cm long; smooth. Lateral branches dendroid; extravaginal. Branch complement several; in a clump; with 1 branch dominant; thinner than stem. Culm-sheaths glabrous. Culm-sheath blade inconspicuous. Leaves 10–18 per branch. Leaf-sheaths striately veined; glabrous on surface, or puberulous. Leaf-sheath oral hairs lacking. Leaf-sheath auricles falcate. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 0.5–0.7 mm long; acute. Collar with external ligule. Leaf-blade base with a brief petiole-like connection to sheath; petiole 0.1 cm long. Leaf-blades deciduous at the ligule; lanceolate; flat, or conduplicate, or involute; 2–10 cm long; 3–10 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface glabrous. Leaf-blade margins scabrous.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes.

Racemes 1; single; 8–12 cm long; bearing 3–6 fertile spikelets on each. Spikelet packing lax.

Spikelets appressed; solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 2 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate; laterally compressed; 6.5–8 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; similar; shorter than spikelet; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume oblong; 1–1.5 mm long; 0.33 length of upper glume; membranous; without keels; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex obtuse. Upper glume oblong; 3–5 mm long; 0.5–0.7 length of adjacent fertile lemma; without keels; 1 -veined. Upper glume lateral veins absent. Upper glume surface puberulous. Upper glume apex obtuse; muticous, or mucronate.

FLORETS Basal sterile florets similar; barren; without significant palea; attached to and deciduous with the fertile. Lemma of lower sterile floret oblong; 6–7.5 mm long; chartaceous; 5–7 -veined; pubescent; ciliate on margins; fringed above; acute. Lemma of upper sterile floret oblong; chartaceous; acute. Fertile lemma lanceolate; 6–7 mm long; coriaceous; without keel; 7 -veined. Lemma surface pubescent; hairy above. Lemma margins ciliate; hairy above. Lemma apex obtuse. Palea oblong; 5 mm long; 4 -veined. Palea apex ciliate.

FLOWER Lodicules 3; membranous. Anthers 3; 1 mm long. Stigmas 2.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; apex unappendaged.

DISTRIBUTION South America: northern South America.

NOTES Bambuseae. Fl Guiana 1995.

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