Chusquea pulchella

HABIT Perennial. Culms scandent; 200–300 cm long; 2–3 mm diam.; woody; without nodal roots. Culm-internodes terete; solid; 9.5–15 cm long; distally glabrous. Culm-nodes without obvious supra-nodal ridge. Lateral branches dendroid; infravaginal. Bud complement 20–36. Branch complement many; in a horizontal line; with 1 branch dominant; as thick as stem. Culm-sheaths persistent; 9.8–11.2 cm long; retrorsely scabrous; hairy on margins. Culm-sheath blade triangular; indistinctly demarcated from sheath; erect; 0.9–1 cm long; glabrous on surface. Leaves 7–10 per branch. Leaf-sheaths pilose; outer margin hairy. Leaf-sheath oral hairs ciliate. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 0.3–0.5 mm long; truncate. Collar with external ligule; glabrous. Leaf-blade base with a brief petiole-like connection to sheath; petiole 0.1 cm long; petiole pilose. Leaf-blades lanceolate; 3.5–7.1 cm long; 2.5–5 mm wide. Leaf-blade venation without cross veins. Leaf-blade surface pubescent; densely hairy; hairy abaxially. Leaf-blade margins ciliate.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle; bracteate at branch bases and bracteate at pedicel base (rarely).

Panicle open; oblong; 2 cm long. Primary panicle branches ascending; 0.5 cm long. Panicle axis pubescent (below). Panicle branches angular; glabrous.

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

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 2 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets oblong; laterally compressed; 5.5–5.8 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; shorter than spikelet; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume ovate; 0.9–1.1 mm long; membranous; without keels; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume surface pubescent. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume ovate; 1.2–1.7 mm long; 0.2 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; without keels; 1–3 -veined. Upper glume lateral veins absent, or obscure. Upper glume surface pubescent. Upper glume apex acute.

FLORETS Basal sterile florets barren; without significant palea; attached to and deciduous with the fertile. Lemma of lower sterile floret ovate; 2.5–2.7 mm long; 0.5 length of fertile lemma; chartaceous; 3 -veined; pubescent; hairy below; acute. Lemma of upper sterile floret ovate; 4.5–5.2 mm long; chartaceous; pubescent; acute. Fertile lemma ovate; 4.7–5 mm long; coriaceous; without keel; 7 -veined. Lemma surface pubescent. Lemma apex acute. Palea 5–5.5 mm long; 4–6 -veined. Palea surface scabrous.

FLOWER Lodicules 3; 0.9–1.4 mm long; membranous; ciliate. Anthers 3; 2.6 mm long. Stigmas 2.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; apex unappendaged.

DISTRIBUTION South America: Brazil.

NOTES Bambuseae. Clark 1995.

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