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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.
Cortaderia speciosa
HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Culms robust; 200–300 cm long; 3–5 mm diam. Culm-nodes brown; glabrous. Ligule a fringe of hairs; 2–3 mm long. Leaf-blades 100–150 cm long; 6–10 mm wide. Leaf-blade midrib keeled beneath. Leaf-blade margins scabrous.
INFLORESCENCE Gynodioecious ("male", in this context, indicating the bisexual state). Inflorescence a panicle. Peduncle 40–50 cm long.
Panicle open; elliptic; dense; 40–60 cm long; 10–15 cm wide. Primary panicle branches appressed; 20–30 cm long.
Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled. Pedicels 3–8 mm long; scaberulous.
FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 4–6 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets cuneate; laterally compressed; 9–10 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Rhachilla internodes 1 mm long. Floret callus evident; 0.6–0.8 mm long; bearded.
GLUMES Glumes similar; shorter than spikelet; similar to fertile lemma in texture. Lower glume lanceolate; 6–8 mm long; 0.75–0.9 length of upper glume; hyaline; without keels; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume surface asperulous. Lower glume margins ciliolate. Lower glume apex entire, or dentate; 2 -fid; acuminate. Upper glume lanceolate; 8–9 mm long; 0.9–1 length of adjacent fertile lemma; hyaline; without keels; 1 -veined. Upper glume lateral veins absent. Upper glume surface asperulous. Upper glume margins ciliolate. Upper glume apex entire, or dentate; 2 -fid; acuminate.
FLORETS Fertile florets female. Fertile lemma lanceolate; 8–10 mm long; hyaline; without keel; 3 -veined. Lemma surface scaberulous; plumose; hairy below. Lemma margins ciliolate. Lemma hairs 4–6 mm long. Lemma apex attenuate; muticous, or awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn 0–2.5 mm long overall. Palea 3–4 mm long; 0.5 length of lemma; hyaline; 2 -veined. Palea keels ciliolate. Palea apex entire, or dentate; 2 -fid; truncate. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.
FLOWER Lodicules 2; cuneate; 0.3–0.5 mm long; fleshy; ciliate. Anthers 3. Staminodes present; 0.1–0.2 mm long.
FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp.
DISTRIBUTION South America: western South America and southern South America.
NOTES Arundineae. Conert 1993.
ADDITIONAL CHARACTERS Bisexual plants unknown.
Please cite this publication as detailed in How to Cite Version: 3rd February 2016.
