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Descriptions

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

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

Cortaderia columbiana

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Butt sheaths persistent and investing base of culm; with fibrous dead sheaths. Culms 70–100 cm long. Lateral branches lacking. Leaf-sheaths glabrous on surface. Ligule a fringe of hairs. Leaf-blades convolute; 15–30 cm long; 2–4 mm wide; coriaceous; stiff. Leaf-blade margins scabrous. Leaf-blade apex acute; pungent.

INFLORESCENCE Gynodioecious ("male", in this context, indicating the bisexual state). Inflorescence a panicle.

Panicle open; lanceolate, or ovate; 12–20 cm long. Panicle branches pilose.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled. Pedicels bearing a few hairs; hairy at tip.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 3–4 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets cuneate; laterally compressed; 9–11 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Floret callus evident; pubescent.

GLUMES Glumes similar; shorter than spikelet, or reaching apex of florets; similar to fertile lemma in texture; gaping. Lower glume linear; 7–9 mm long; 0.8 length of upper glume; membranous; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Upper glume subulate; 8–11 mm long; 1.6 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; 1 -veined. Upper glume lateral veins absent.

FLORETS Fertile florets female. Fertile lemma linear, or lanceolate; 5–7 mm long; membranous; without keel; 5 -veined. Lemma surface plumose; hairy below. Lemma hairs 4–5 mm long. Lemma apex lobed; 2 -fid; with filiform lobes; with lobes 1–2 mm long; attenuate; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn 6–10 mm long overall. Palea lanceolate; 4–5 mm long; 0.66 length of lemma; 2 -veined. Palea keels ciliolate. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

FLOWER Lodicules 2; cuneate; fleshy; glabrous. Anthers 3. Staminodes present; 2 mm long.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp.

MALE Male inflorescence bisexual similar to female; a panicle. Male spikelets resembling female.

DISTRIBUTION South America: northern South America and western South America.

NOTES Arundineae. WDC 1993.

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