Chusquea picta

HABIT Perennial. Rhizomes elongated; leptomorph. Culms woody; without nodal roots. Culm-internodes abbreviated and closely packed at the base; terete. Lateral branches dendroid. Branch complement many; girdling the culm. Leaf-sheaths striately veined; glabrous on surface. Ligule an eciliate membrane. Leaf-blade base with a brief petiole-like connection to sheath. Leaf-blades linear, or lanceolate; 5–8 cm long; 3–3.5 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface glabrous.

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

Panicle open; linear; 5–8 cm long. Primary panicle branches indistinct the panicle almost racemose.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 2 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate; laterally compressed; 10–11 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; shorter than spikelet; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume ovate; 0.2 mm long; 1 length of upper glume; membranous; without keels. Upper glume ovate; 0.2 mm long; 0.03 length of adjacent fertile lemma; without keels.

FLORETS Basal sterile florets barren; without significant palea; attached to and deciduous with the fertile. Lemma of lower sterile floret ovate; 7 mm long; chartaceous; acuminate; muticous, or mucronate. Lemma of upper sterile floret ovate; 9 mm long; chartaceous; acuminate; muticous, or mucronate. Fertile lemma lanceolate; 10–10.5 mm long; coriaceous; without keel. Lemma apex obtuse, or acute.

FLOWER Lodicules 3. Anthers 3. Stigmas 2.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; apex unappendaged.

DISTRIBUTION South America: western South America.

NOTES Bambuseae. Gr Peru 1997.

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