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.

Dendrocalamus barbatus

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Rhizomes short; pachymorph. Culms erect; nodding at the tip, or pendulous at the tip; 1500–1800 cm long; 100–150 mm diam.; woody; with aerial roots from the nodes. Culm-internodes terete; with small lumen; 26–32 cm long; dark green; distally mealy, or glabrous. Culm-nodes flush with internodes. Lateral branches dendroid. Branch complement many; with 3 branches dominant. Culm-sheaths deciduous; 25–38 cm long; coriaceous; pilose; with tawny hairs; auriculate; with 2–3 mm high auricles; with 5–15 mm wide auricles; setose on shoulders; shoulders with 10 mm long hairs. Culm-sheath ligule 3–8 mm high; dentate. Culm-sheath blade ovate; reflexed; 10–30 cm long; acuminate. Leaves 8–15 per branch. Leaf-sheaths pilose. Leaf-sheath auricles falcate. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 1 mm long. Leaf-blade base with a brief petiole-like connection to sheath. Leaf-blades lanceolate; 10–15 cm long; 10–20 mm wide. Leaf-blade venation with 10–12 secondary veins. Leaf-blade apex acuminate.

INFLORESCENCE Synflorescence bractiferous; clustered at the nodes; in oblong clusters; 1–2.2 cm long; with glumaceous subtending bracts; with axillary buds at base of spikelet; prophyllate below lateral spikelets; leafless between clusters.

Fertile spikelets sessile.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 2 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets ovate; laterally compressed; 6–8.5 mm long; 2–4 mm wide; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Rhachilla internodes suppressed between florets.

GLUMES Glumes two, or several; 2–3 empty glumes; persistent; similar; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume ovate; chartaceous; without keels. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume ovate; chartaceous; without keels. Upper glume apex acute.

FLORETS Fertile florets increasing in size upwards. Fertile lemma ovate; 6–7 mm long; 4–5 mm wide; chartaceous; without keel. Lemma apex acuminate; mucronate, or awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn 0.8–1 mm long overall. Palea 5–6 mm long; chartaceous; 2-keeled but the uppermost without keels.

FLOWER Lodicules absent. Anthers 6; 6 mm long; yellow; anther tip apiculate. Stigmas 1.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp.

DISTRIBUTION Asia-temperate: China.

NOTES Bambuseae. Hsueh & Li 2002.

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