Chusquea sulcata

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Rhizomes short; pachymorph. Culms erect, or arching; 200–500 cm long; 10–20 mm diam.; woody; without nodal roots. Culm-internodes terete. Lateral branches dendroid; extravaginal. Branch complement many; in a horizontal line; thinner than stem. Culm-sheaths deciduous; 9.8–13.3 cm long; without auricles. Culm-sheath blade lanceolate; erect; 0.5–1.2 cm long; glabrous on surface. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 0.2–0.5 mm long. Collar with external ligule. Leaf-blade base with a brief petiole-like connection to sheath. Leaf-blades deciduous at the ligule; lanceolate; 11.7–18.3 cm long; 5–9 mm wide. Leaf-blade venation without cross veins. Leaf-blade surface glabrous, or pilose; hairy abaxially. Leaf-blade apex acuminate.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.

Panicle open; lanceolate; dense; nodding; 6–10 cm long. Primary panicle branches appressed. Panicle branches glabrous.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 2 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets linear; dorsally compressed; 6.7–8.6 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; 0.3–0.5 mm long; 1 length of upper glume; membranous; without keels; 0 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex obtuse. Upper glume ovate; 0.3–0.5 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; 3.1–3.4 mm long; 0.4–0.5 length of fertile lemma; chartaceous. Lemma of upper sterile floret ovate; 3.4–4 mm long; chartaceous. Fertile lemma ovate; 7.2–7.6 mm long; coriaceous; without keel. 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. South America: Mesoamericana.

NOTES Bambuseae. Fl Meso-Am 1997.

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