Chusquea nelsonii

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Rhizomes short; pachymorph. Culms leaning; 300–500 cm long; 5–10 mm diam.; woody; without nodal roots. Culm-internodes terete. Lateral branches dendroid; infravaginal. Branch complement many; in an irregular line (bulging downwards at centre); thinner than stem. Culm-sheaths 5.6–19 cm long; smooth; without auricles. Culm-sheath blade lanceolate; deciduous; erect; 1.8 cm long; glabrous on surface. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 1–2 mm long. Collar with external ligule. Leaf-blade base with a brief petiole-like connection to sheath. Leaf-blades deciduous at the ligule; lanceolate; 6.4–15.4 cm long; 5–10 mm wide. Leaf-blade venation without cross veins. Leaf-blade surface pilose; hairy abaxially. Leaf-blade apex attenuate.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.

Panicle open; lanceolate; dense; 4–6.5 cm long. Primary panicle branches appressed. Panicle axis pilose.

Spikelets appressed; solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 2 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate; laterally compressed; 6.6–7.8 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; similar; shorter than spikelet; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume ovate; 0.6–1.3 mm long; 1 length of upper glume; membranous; without keels; 0 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex obtuse. Upper glume ovate; 0.6–1.3 mm long; 0.15–0.25 length of adjacent fertile lemma; without keels; 0 -veined. Upper glume primary vein absent. Upper glume lateral veins absent. Upper glume apex obtuse.

FLORETS Basal sterile florets similar; barren; without significant palea; attached to and deciduous with the fertile. Lemma of lower sterile floret ovate; 3.8–4.8 mm long; 0.5–0.66 length of fertile lemma; chartaceous. Lemma of upper sterile floret ovate; 3.8–4.8 mm long; chartaceous. Fertile lemma lanceolate; 6.4–7.1 mm long; coriaceous; without keel. Lemma margins involute; covering most of palea. Lemma apex acuminate. Palea tightly convolute around flower; 1 length of lemma. Palea keels contiguous above a sulcus.

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

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; apex unappendaged.

DISTRIBUTION North America: Mexico. South America: Mesoamericana.

NOTES Bambuseae. Fl Meso-Am 1997.

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