Chusquea pittieri

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Rhizomes short; pachymorph. Culms geniculately ascending; 1000–1500 cm long; 20–40 mm diam.; woody; with root thorns from the nodes. Culm-internodes terete; solid; yellow, or mid-green. Lateral branches dendroid; extravaginal. Branch complement many; in a clump; with 1 branch dominant; thinner than stem. Culm-sheaths brown, or purple; concolorous, or distinctly mottled with last colour; antrorsely scabrous; pilose; without auricles. Culm-sheath ligule 3.5 mm high; ciliate. Culm-sheath blade linear; 15 cm long. Leaves 3–6 per branch. Leaf-sheaths outer margin hairy. Leaf-sheath oral hairs ciliate; 2–3 mm long. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 0.5 mm long; erose. Collar with external ligule. Leaf-blade base with a brief petiole-like connection to sheath; petiole 0.05–0.1 cm long. Leaf-blades deciduous at the ligule; linear; 6–10 cm long; 4–7 mm wide; light green. Leaf-blade surface pubescent; sparsely hairy; hairy adaxially.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.

Panicle open; lanceolate; dense; 4–7 cm long; 1–2 cm wide. Primary panicle branches ascending; bearing spikelets almost to the base.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled. Pedicels 1–2 mm long; scaberulous.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 2 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate; dorsally compressed; acute; 11–12.3 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; 0.5 mm long; 0.5 length of upper glume; membranous; without keels; 0 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex obtuse. Upper glume ovate; 1.1 mm long; 0.1 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; 6.4–7 mm long; chartaceous; 7 -veined; acute; mucronate. Lemma of upper sterile floret ovate; 7 mm long; chartaceous; acute; mucronate. Fertile lemma ovate; 10.5–12 mm long; coriaceous; without keel; 11–14 -veined. Lemma apex acute. Palea 1.1 length of lemma; 7–8 -veined. Palea keels approximate. Palea apex dentate; 2 -fid.

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

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; apex unappendaged.

DISTRIBUTION North America: Mexico. South America: Mesoamericana.

NOTES Bambuseae. Fl Costaric 1994.

ADDITIONAL CHARACTERS Hair tuft under leaf base on 1 side of midrib.

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