Gigantochloa apus

HABIT Perennial; caespitose; clumped densely. Rhizomes short; pachymorph. Culms erect; 800–2200 cm long; 40–130 mm diam.; woody. Culm-internodes terete; with small lumen; 20–60 cm long; grey; distally pruinose. Lateral branches dendroid. Buds or branches absent from lower quarter of culm. Branch complement several; with 1 branch dominant. Culm-sheaths persistent; 7–35 cm long; 1–1.3 times as long as wide; brown; hispid; with black hairs; truncate at apex; auriculate; with 1–3 mm high auricles; glabrous on shoulders, or ciliate on shoulders; shoulders with 4–7 mm long hairs. Culm-sheath ligule 2–4 mm high; dentate. Culm-sheath blade triangular; deciduous; spreading, or reflexed; 3–10 cm long; 20–50 mm wide; pubescent; acuminate. Leaf-sheaths outer margin hairy. Leaf-sheath auricles erect; 1–2 mm long. Ligule a ciliolate membrane; 1–2 mm long. Collar with external ligule. Leaf-blade base with a brief petiole-like connection to sheath; petiole 0.4–1.1 cm long. Leaf-blades lanceolate; 13–49 cm long; 20–90 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface glabrous, or puberulous; hairy abaxially.

INFLORESCENCE Synflorescence bractiferous; clustered at the nodes; in stellate clusters; 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 3 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets ovate; laterally compressed; 13–22 mm long; 2–3 mm wide; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating above glumes but not between florets. Rhachilla internodes suppressed between florets.

GLUMES Glumes several; 2–3 empty glumes; persistent; similar; shorter than spikelet. Upper glume ovate; 5–13 mm long. Upper glume apex acute; mucronate.

FLORETS Fertile florets increasing in size upwards. Fertile lemma ovate; 13–20 mm long; 4–8 mm wide; chartaceous; without keel. Lemma margins ciliate. Lemma hairs dark brown. Lemma apex apiculate. Palea 5–18 mm long; 8–13 -veined; 2-keeled. Palea apex acute. Apical sterile florets 1 in number; barren; lanceolate.

FLOWER Lodicules absent. Anthers 6; 9–11 mm long; red; anther tip with extended connective and pubescent. Filaments united in a tube; united for 1 of their length. Stigmas 1. Ovary umbonate; pubescent on apex.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; lanceolate; sulcate on hilar side; 12 mm long; hairy at apex.

DISTRIBUTION Asia-tropical: India, Indo-China, and Malesia.

NOTES Bambuseae. Widjaja 1996.

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