Drepanostachyum intermedium

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Rhizomes short; pachymorph. Culms erect; 250–400 cm long; 10–12 mm diam.; woody. Culm-internodes terete; hollow; 12–25 cm long; grey. Lateral branches dendroid. Branch complement many; with subequal branches. Culm-sheaths 20–25 cm long; 5–8 times as long as wide; chartaceous; glabrous; truncate at apex; ciliate on shoulders. Culm-sheath ligule 3–5 mm high. Culm-sheath blade linear; reflexed; 1.2–5 cm long. Leaf-sheaths striately veined; glabrous on surface, or hispid. Leaf-sheath oral hairs setose; deciduous. Leaf-sheath auricles falcate. Ligule an eciliate membrane. Leaf-blade base with a brief petiole-like connection to sheath; petiole 0.2–0.3 cm long. Leaf-blades deciduous at the ligule; linear, or lanceolate, or oblong; 7.5–20 cm long; 12–25 mm wide; light green; glandular. Leaf-blade midrib conspicuous. Leaf-blade venation with 6–14 secondary veins; with obscure cross veins. Leaf-blade surface scabrous; rough adaxially. Leaf-blade margins scabrous. Leaf-blade apex attenuate; filiform.

INFLORESCENCE Synflorescence on a separate leafless culm. Inflorescence a panicle; terminal and axillary; bracteate at branch bases; subtended by bracts.

Panicle open. Primary panicle branches indistinct the panicle almost racemose.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 3–5 fertile florets; with a barren rhachilla extension, or with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets oblong; laterally compressed; 12–25 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Rhachilla internodes compressed; clavate; pilose; hairy above.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; similar; shorter than spikelet; similar to fertile lemma in texture. Lower glume ovate; without keels; 3–5 -veined. Lower glume surface pilose; hairy at apex. Lower glume apex obtuse, or acute. Upper glume elliptic; without keels; 7–9 -veined. Upper glume surface pilose; hairy at apex. Upper glume apex obtuse, or acute.

FLORETS Fertile lemma ovate; 7–9 mm long; chartaceous; without keel; 7–9 -veined. Lemma lateral veins prominent. Lemma surface smooth, or scaberulous. Lemma apex acute; mucronate. Palea 6 -veined. Palea keels ciliolate. Palea apex with excurrent keel veins. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

FLOWER Lodicules 3; veined; ciliate. Anthers 3; anther tip smooth. Stigmas 2. Ovary glabrous.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; fusiform; 12 mm long; apex unappendaged. Hilum linear.

DISTRIBUTION Asia-tropical: India.

NOTES Arundinarieae. Gamble 1995.

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