Chusquea loxensis

HABIT Perennial. Culms arching; 100–150 cm long; 3–5 mm diam.; woody. Culm-internodes terete; 5–9 cm long; smooth, or scaberulous. Culm-nodes without obvious supra-nodal ridge. Lateral branches dendroid; extravaginal. Bud complement 20. Branch complement many; in a clump; with subequal branches, or 1 branch dominant; thinner than stem. Culm-sheaths persistent; 4.3–7 cm long; antrorsely scabrous; glabrous on margins. Culm-sheath ligule 0.5 mm high; ciliolate. Culm-sheath blade linear; indistinctly demarcated from sheath; erect; 0.2–0.5 cm long; pubescent; mucronate. Leaves 4–8 per branch. Leaf-sheaths keeled; glabrous on surface; outer margin hairy. Ligule an eciliate membrane. Collar with external ligule. Leaf-blade base with a brief petiole-like connection to sheath. Leaf-blades lanceolate; 4.4–12.2 cm long; 3–8 mm wide. Leaf-blade apex acuminate.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle; bracteate at branch bases.

Panicle open; linear; 4.5–6.5 cm long. Primary panicle branches appressed; 1–3 cm long. Panicle axis angular, or flat; glabrous. Panicle branches angular; scabrous.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled. Pedicels 1–5 mm long.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 2 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets oblong; laterally compressed; 4.8–5.5 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; shorter than spikelet; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume ovate; 0.5–0.7 mm long; 0.1 length of spikelet; membranous; without keels; 0 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume ovate; 0.8–1.3 mm long; 0.2 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; without keels; 0–1 -veined. Upper glume primary vein absent, or obscure. 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 elliptic; 2.6–3.1 mm long; 0.66 length of fertile lemma; chartaceous; 1 -veined; without lateral veins; pubescent; hairy above; hairy on veins; acute; mucronate. Lemma of upper sterile floret elliptic; 2.8–3.3 mm long; chartaceous; pubescent on midvein; acute; mucronate. Fertile lemma ovate; 3.6–4.8 mm long; coriaceous; without keel; 7 -veined. Lemma lateral veins prominent. Lemma surface pubescent; hairy above. Lemma apex acute; mucronate. Palea 3.5–4.8 mm long; 2–4 -veined. Palea surface scabrous. Palea apex with excurrent keel veins.

FLOWER Lodicules 3; 0.6–1.4 mm long; membranous; ciliate. Anthers 3. Stigmas 2.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; 3.5 mm long; apex unappendaged. Hilum linear; 1 length of caryopsis.

DISTRIBUTION South America: western South America.

NOTES Bambuseae. Clark 2001.

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