Chusquea repens

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Rhizomes short; pachymorph. Culms rambling, or leaning, or scandent; 100–600 cm long; 20–30 mm diam.; woody; without nodal roots. Culm-internodes terete. Lateral branches dendroid; extravaginal. Branch complement many; in a horizontal line (1–2 rows); thinner than stem. Culm-sheaths persistent; 4.5–6 cm long; glabrous; without auricles. Culm-sheath ligule 0.5–1 mm high; ciliate. Culm-sheath blade lanceolate; deciduous; reflexed; 0.3–1 cm long; glabrous on surface; attenuate. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 2–8 mm long; pubescent on abaxial surface. Collar with external ligule. Leaf-blade base with a brief petiole-like connection to sheath. Leaf-blades deciduous at the ligule; lanceolate; 3.3–9.2 cm long; 3–9 mm wide. Leaf-blade venation without cross veins. Leaf-blade surface pilose; hairy abaxially. Leaf-blade apex acuminate.

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

Panicle open; lanceolate; nodding; 2–5 cm long. Primary panicle branches appressed; 0.5–1.5 cm long. Panicle axis angular; glabrous. Panicle branches angular; glabrous; pubescent in axils.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled. Pedicels 1–3 mm long.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 2 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets linear; dorsally compressed; 6.3–7 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; 0.2–0.4 mm long; 1 length of upper glume; membranous; without keels; 0 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex obtuse. Upper glume ovate; 0.2–0.4 mm long; 0.05 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; 3.4–3.5 mm long; 0.5 length of fertile lemma; chartaceous; 3 -veined; cuspidate. Lemma of upper sterile floret ovate; 3.5–4 mm long; chartaceous; acuminate. Fertile lemma ovate; 5–5.6 mm long; coriaceous; without keel; 7 -veined. Lemma margins involute; covering most of palea. Lemma apex apiculate. Palea tightly convolute around flower; 1 length of lemma. Palea keels contiguous above a sulcus.

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

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; apex unappendaged.

DISTRIBUTION North America: Mexico.

NOTES Bambuseae. Fl Meso-Am 1997.

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