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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.
Gigantochloa atroviolacea
HABIT Perennial; caespitose; clumped loosely. Rhizomes short; pachymorph. Culms erect; 600–1200 cm long; 60–80 mm diam.; woody; with aerial roots from the nodes. Culm-internodes terete; hollow; 40–50 cm long; purple; distally pubescent. Lateral branches dendroid. Culm-sheaths deciduous; 16–20 cm long; hispid; with appressed hairs; with dark brown hairs; auriculate; with 3–5 mm high auricles; ciliate on shoulders; shoulders with 3–7 mm long hairs. Culm-sheath ligule 2 mm high; dentate. Culm-sheath blade ovate; spreading, or reflexed; 4–9 cm long. Leaf-sheaths pubescent; hairs white. Leaf-sheath auricles erect; 1 mm long. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 2 mm long; erose. Collar with external ligule. Leaf-blade base with a brief petiole-like connection to sheath; petiole 0.3–0.5 cm long. Leaf-blades lanceolate; 20–28 cm long; 2–5 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface glabrous. Leaf-blade apex acute.
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.
Fertile spikelets sessile.
FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 4 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets lanceolate, or ovate; laterally compressed; 8–11 mm long; 3 mm wide; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating above glumes but not between florets. Rhachilla internodes suppressed between florets.
GLUMES Glumes two; persistent; similar; shorter than spikelet. Upper glume ovate; 3–5 mm long. Upper glume surface pubescent. Upper glume hairs tawny. Upper glume apex acute; mucronate.
FLORETS Fertile florets increasing in size upwards. Fertile lemma ovate; 6–10 mm long; chartaceous; without keel; 8–10 -veined. Lemma apex acuminate. Palea 2-keeled. Palea apex entire; acute. Apical sterile florets 1 in number; barren; lanceolate.
FLOWER Lodicules absent. Anthers 6; 4–5 mm long; yellow; anther tip with extended connective and pubescent. Filaments united in a tube. Ovary umbonate; pubescent on apex.
FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp.
DISTRIBUTION Asia-tropical: India and Malesia.
NOTES Bambuseae. Widjaja 1996.
Please cite this publication as detailed in How to Cite Version: 3rd February 2016.
