Chusquea nudiramea

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Rhizomes short; pachymorph. Culms erect, or leaning; 200–400 cm long; 10–12 mm diam.; woody; without nodal roots. Culm-internodes terete; with small lumen; 16–22 cm long; glaucous; distally glabrous. Lateral branches dendroid; extravaginal; ascending. Bud complement 10–15. Branch complement several; in a clump. Culm-sheaths deciduous; 7.2–10.2 cm long; glabrous; hairy on margins; without auricles. Culm-sheath ligule 0.4 mm high; ciliolate. Culm-sheath blade lanceolate; deciduous; reflexed; 1–4.6 cm long; glabrous on surface; acuminate. Leaves 7–8 per branch. Leaf-sheaths deciduous; glabrous on surface; outer margin hairy. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 1–3 mm long; pubescent on abaxial surface; obtuse. Collar with external ligule. Leaf-blade base with a brief petiole-like connection to sheath; petiole 0.1–0.3 cm long. Leaf-blades lanceolate; 7–16 cm long; 4–11 mm wide; coriaceous. Leaf-blade venation without cross veins. Leaf-blade surface glabrous.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle; embraced at base by subtending leaf.

Panicle contracted; lanceolate; 3–3.5 cm long. Primary panicle branches appressed; 0.5–0.8 cm long. Panicle branches scabrous; glabrous.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled. Pedicels angular; 1–3 mm long; scaberulous; glabrous.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 2 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets elliptic; straight, or curved; dorsally compressed; 8.3–9.1 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; similar; shorter than spikelet; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume orbicular; 0.1 mm long; 0.5–0.6 length of upper glume; membranous; without keels; 0 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex obtuse. Upper glume orbicular; 0.1–0.2 mm long; 0.03 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; 3.5–4.5 mm long; 0.4 length of fertile lemma; chartaceous; 1–3 -veined; without lateral veins, or distinctly veined; acute. Lemma of upper sterile floret ovate; 3.5–4.5 mm long; 1 length of lower sterile floret; chartaceous; acute. Fertile lemma elliptic; 7.9–8.3 mm long; coriaceous; without keel; 7–9 -veined. Lemma apex acute; muticous, or mucronate. Palea 7.6–7.9 mm long; 1 length of lemma; 4 -veined. Palea surface scabrous.

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

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; apex unappendaged.

DISTRIBUTION South America: Brazil.

NOTES Bambuseae. Clarke 1996.

ADDITIONAL CHARACTERS Leaf-sheaths concolorous.

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