GrassBase - The Online World Grass Flora

Descriptions

W.D. Clayton, M. Vorontsova, K.T. Harman & H. Williamson

© Copyright The Board of Trustees, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

Chusquea valdiviensis

HABIT Perennial. Culms scandent; 500–1000 cm long; woody; without nodal roots. Culm-internodes terete; solid; smooth. Lateral branches dendroid. Branch complement several; in a clump; with 1 branch dominant; thinner than stem. Leaf-sheaths outer margin hairy. Leaf-sheath oral hairs ciliate; 2 mm long. Ligule an eciliate membrane. Leaf-blade base with a brief petiole-like connection to sheath. Leaf-blades deciduous at the ligule; lanceolate; 6–18 cm long; 5–23 mm wide; herbaceous. Leaf-blade venation with distinct cross veins. Leaf-blade surface pubescent; hairy adaxially. Leaf-blade margins scabrous.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.

Panicle open; ovate; 14–18 cm long; contracted about primary branches. Primary panicle branches 6–10 cm long; bearing spikelets almost to the base. Panicle axis pubescent. Panicle branches pubescent.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled. Pedicels pubescent.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 2 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate; laterally compressed; 6–7 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; similar; shorter than spikelet; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume lanceolate; 0.75 length of upper glume; membranous; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume surface pubescent. Lower glume apex acute; muticous, or mucronate. Upper glume lanceolate; 0.33–0.5 length of adjacent fertile lemma; 1-keeled; 3 -veined. Upper glume surface pubescent. Upper glume apex acute; muticous, or mucronate.

FLORETS Basal sterile florets similar; barren; without significant palea; attached to and deciduous with the fertile. Lemma of lower sterile floret ovate; 0.5–0.66 length of fertile lemma; chartaceous; 3–5 -veined; pubescent; hairy above; setaceously attenuate. Lemma of upper sterile floret ovate; 1.5–2 length of lower sterile floret; chartaceous; setaceously attenuate. Fertile lemma ovate; 6–7 mm long; coriaceous; without keel; 7 -veined. Lemma surface pubescent. Lemma apex acute. Palea 1 length of lemma; 4 -veined. Palea apex with excurrent keel veins.

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

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; apex unappendaged.

DISTRIBUTION South America: southern South America.

NOTES Bambuseae. Fl Pat 1995.

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