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Descriptions

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

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

Colanthelia rhizantha

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Rhizomes short; pachymorph. Culms decumbent (below), or erect; 50–300 cm long; 2 mm diam.; woody; rooting from lower nodes. Culm-internodes terete; hollow; distally glabrous. Lateral branches dendroid. Branch complement several; in a horizontal line; with 1 branch dominant; thinner than stem. Leaves 3–6 per branch. Leaf-sheaths mostly shorter than adjacent culm internode; puberulous; outer margin hairy. Leaf-sheath oral hairs setose; 15–20 mm long. Ligule a ciliolate membrane; 0.5 mm long. Leaf-blade base with a brief petiole-like connection to sheath; petiole 1 cm long. Leaf-blades lanceolate; 5–8 cm long; 5–9 mm wide; mid-green and glaucous; discolorous with last colour beneath. Leaf-blade midrib indistinct. Leaf-blade venation with 6 secondary veins; without cross veins. Leaf-blade surface scaberulous; pilose; sparsely hairy; with tubercle-based hairs. Leaf-blade margins scabrous. Leaf-blade apex acuminate.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle; terminal and axillary.

Panicle open; ovate; 3–4 cm long; 3–4 cm wide; bearing few spikelets. Primary panicle branches spreading. Panicle axis pubescent.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled. Pedicels 5–8 mm long; puberulous.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 5–7 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets linear; laterally compressed; 20–40 mm long; 1 mm wide; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Rhachilla internodes 6 mm long; eventually visible between lemmas.

GLUMES Glumes several; 3 empty glumes; persistent; similar; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume oblong; 4 mm long; 0.75 length of upper glume; chartaceous; without keels; 3 -veined. Lower glume apex obtuse. Upper glume oblong; 6 mm long; chartaceous; without keels; 7 -veined. Upper glume apex obtuse.

FLORETS Fertile lemma oblong; 7–8 mm long; chartaceous; 7 -veined. Lemma lateral veins prominent; transversely connected at apex. Lemma apex obtuse. Palea oblong; 1 length of lemma; 4 -veined. Palea keels scaberulous. Palea apex obtuse. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

FLOWER Lodicules 3; membranous; ciliate. Anthers 3; 4 mm long. Stigmas 2.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp.

DISTRIBUTION South America: Brazil.

NOTES Bambuseae. Hackel 2001.

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