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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.
Dendrocalamus giganteus
HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Rhizomes short; pachymorph. Culms erect; 2000–3000 cm long; 200–300 mm diam.; woody. Culm-internodes terete; hollow; 30–45 cm long. Lateral branches dendroid. Branch complement many; with 1 branch dominant; thinner than stem. Culm-sheaths deciduous; coriaceous; purple; pubescent; hairy throughout; with dark brown hairs; auriculate; glabrous on shoulders. Culm-sheath ligule 6–12 mm high; ciliate and dentate. Culm-sheath blade lanceolate; spreading. Leaves 5–15 per branch. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 3 mm long; erose. Leaf-blade base with a brief petiole-like connection to sheath. Leaf-blades lanceolate; 15–45 cm long; 30–60 mm wide. Leaf-blade venation with distinct cross veins. Leaf-blade margins scabrous.
INFLORESCENCE Synflorescence bractiferous; clustered at the nodes; in stellate clusters; 2–2.5 cm long; dense; 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 4–8 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate; laterally compressed; 12–15 mm long; 3–4 mm wide; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Rhachilla internodes suppressed between florets.
GLUMES Glumes persistent; dissimilar; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume orbicular; 0.7–0.8 length of upper glume; chartaceous; without keels; 13 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins with cross-veins. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume oblate; 8–13 mm long; 1 length of adjacent fertile lemma; chartaceous; without keels; 15 -veined. Upper glume lateral veins with cross-veins. Upper glume apex acute.
FLORETS Fertile florets increasing in size upwards. Fertile lemma oblate; 8–13 mm long; chartaceous; without keel; 25 -veined. Lemma lateral veins with cross-veins. Lemma margins ciliate. Lemma apex acute. Palea 0.9 length of lemma; chartaceous; 6 -veined; 2-keeled but the uppermost without keels. Palea keels ciliate.
FLOWER Lodicules absent. Anthers 6; 7–10 mm long; anther tip apiculate. Stigmas 1. Ovary umbonate; pubescent all over.
FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; 7–8 mm long; hairy at apex.
DISTRIBUTION Africa: western Indian ocean. Asia-temperate: China and eastern Asia. Asia-tropical: India, Indo-China, and Malesia.
NOTES Bambuseae. Lin.
Please cite this publication as detailed in How to Cite Version: 3rd February 2016.
