Chusquea perotensis

HABIT Perennial. Rhizomes short; pachymorph. Culms arching; 600–1500 cm long; 15–50 mm diam.; woody. Culm-internodes terete; hollow; 19–32 cm long; distally glabrous. Lateral branches dendroid; intravaginal. Bud complement 40–50. Branch complement many; girdling the culm; thinner than stem. Culm-sheaths persistent; 6.8–12.6 cm long; 0.5 length of internode; hairy on margins. Culm-sheath ligule 1 mm high; ciliate. Culm-sheath blade triangular; indistinctly demarcated from sheath; erect; 2.8–4.2 cm long; with ciliate margins; mucronate. Leaves 4–9 per branch. Leaf-sheaths glabrous on surface; outer margin hairy. Leaf-sheath oral hairs ciliate; 1–1.8 mm long. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 1–3(–7) mm long; glabrous on abaxial surface, or pubescent on abaxial surface. Collar with external ligule. Leaf-blade base with a brief petiole-like connection to sheath; petiole 0.2–0.3 cm long; petiole glabrous. Leaf-blades lanceolate; 10–17 cm long; 8–15 mm wide. Leaf-blade venation without cross veins, or with obscure cross veins. Leaf-blade surface glabrous. Leaf-blade apex attenuate.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle; bracteate at branch bases. Peduncle 3–9.5 cm long; pubescent above.

Panicle open; ovate; 7–12 cm long. Primary panicle branches spreading, or reflexed; 2.5–12 cm long.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled. Pedicels 3–8 mm long; scabrous.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 2 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets oblong; subterete; 7.4–8.7 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; shorter than spikelet; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume oblate; 0.4–0.8 mm long; 0.05 length of spikelet; membranous; without keels; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex obtuse. Upper glume ovate; 0.7–1.3 mm long; 0.1 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; without keels; 1 -veined. 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 ovate; 3.6–4.5 mm long; 0.5–0.6 length of fertile lemma; chartaceous; 3(–7) -veined; scabrous; rough on midvein; acute. Lemma of upper sterile floret ovate; 4.3–5 mm long; chartaceous; acute. Fertile lemma ovate; 7–7.8 mm long; coriaceous; without keel; 7(–9) -veined. Lemma midvein scabrous. Lemma surface pilose; hairy above. Lemma apex acute; mucronate. Palea 6.9–8.1 mm long; 4 -veined. Palea surface scabrous.

FLOWER Lodicules 3; 1.5 mm long; membranous; veined; ciliate. Anthers 3; 5.4–6 mm long; yellow. Stigmas 2.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; oblong; 5–5.2 mm long; apex unappendaged. Embryo 0.2 length of caryopsis. Hilum linear.

DISTRIBUTION North America: Mexico.

NOTES Bambuseae. Clark 2001.

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