Fargesia nitida

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Rhizomes short; pachymorph. Culms 200–500 cm long; 10–20 mm diam.; woody. Culm-internodes terete; hollow; 11–20 cm long. Lateral branches dendroid. Branch complement several; in a horizontal line; with subequal branches; thinner than stem. Culm-sheaths persistent; glabrous on shoulders. Culm-sheath blade ovate; 1 cm long. Leaf-sheath oral hairs ciliate. Ligule an eciliate membrane. Leaf-blade base with a brief petiole-like connection to sheath. Leaf-blades lanceolate; 3.8–8 cm long; 6–10 mm wide.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes; subtended by a spatheole; embraced at base by subtending leaf. Spatheole elliptic; 3 cm long.

Racemes 1; single; oblong; unilateral; 2–3 cm long. Spikelet packing crowded; irregular.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 2 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets oblong; laterally compressed; 12 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; similar; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume lanceolate; 5 mm long; chartaceous; without keels. Lower glume apex acuminate. Upper glume lanceolate; 6 mm long; chartaceous; without keels. Upper glume apex attenuate.

FLORETS Fertile lemma lanceolate; 8 mm long; chartaceous; purple; without keel; 7 -veined. Lemma apex acuminate. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

FLOWER Lodicules 3. Anthers 3. Stigmas 3.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp.

DISTRIBUTION Asia-temperate: Caucasus and China.

NOTES Arundinarieae. Comp. Chinese Bamboo 2001.

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