Gigantochloa levis

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Rhizomes short; pachymorph. Culms erect; 1500–2000 cm long; 100 mm diam.; woody; with aerial roots from the nodes. Culm-internodes terete; hollow; 20–45 cm long; dark green; distally glabrous, or pubescent. Lateral branches dendroid. Buds or branches absent from lower quarter of culm. Culm-sheaths 15–30 cm long; hispid; with dark brown hairs; truncate at apex; auriculate; with 7–12 mm high auricles; setose on shoulders; shoulders with 10–15 mm long hairs. Culm-sheath ligule 15–20 mm high; fimbriate. Culm-sheath blade lanceolate; narrower than sheath; reflexed; pubescent. Leaf-sheath oral hairs ciliate; 4 mm long. Leaf-sheath auricles erect; 7 mm long. Ligule an eciliate membrane; erose. Collar with external ligule. Leaf-blade base with a brief petiole-like connection to sheath. Leaf-blades lanceolate; 15–30 cm long; 20–40 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface puberulous; hairy abaxially.

INFLORESCENCE Synflorescence bractiferous; clustered at the nodes; in globose clusters; 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 4–5 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets lanceolate; laterally compressed; 10–15 mm long; 4 mm wide; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating above glumes but not between florets. Rhachilla internodes suppressed between florets.

GLUMES Glumes two, or several; 2–3 empty glumes; persistent; similar; shorter than spikelet.

FLORETS Fertile florets increasing in size upwards. Fertile lemma ovate; 6–10 mm long; chartaceous; without keel. Lemma lateral veins with cross-veins. Lemma surface puberulous. Lemma margins ciliate. Lemma apex acute. Palea 5–8 -veined; 2-keeled. Palea keels ciliate. Palea surface puberulous; hairy on back and on flanks. Apical sterile florets 1 in number; barren; lanceolate.

FLOWER Lodicules absent. Anthers 6; 4–6 mm long; anther tip penicillate. Filaments united in a tube. Stigmas 1; pubescent. Ovary umbonate; pubescent on apex.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; hairy at apex.

DISTRIBUTION Asia-temperate: China and eastern Asia. Asia-tropical: Indo-China and Malesia.

NOTES Bambuseae. Holttum 1995.

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