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 nigrociliata

HABIT Perennial; caespitose; clumped loosely. Rhizomes short; pachymorph. Culms erect; 1500–2000 cm long; 30–60 mm diam.; woody. Culm-internodes terete; hollow; 20–35 cm long; light green; distally pubescent. Lateral branches dendroid. Culm-sheaths tardily deciduous; 11–18.5 cm long; hispid; with appressed hairs; with dark brown hairs; auriculate; with 2–4 mm high auricles. Culm-sheath ligule 2–3 mm high; dentate. Culm-sheath blade triangular; erect, or spreading; 6–10 cm long; 20–35 mm wide; acute. Leaf-sheath auricles erect; 1 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 0.3–0.6 cm long. Leaf-blades lanceolate; 19.5–35 cm long; 25–45 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface 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.

Fertile spikelets sessile.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 3 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets lanceolate, or ovate; laterally compressed; 15–22 mm long; 3–4 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; 4–19 mm long. Upper glume apex acute; mucronate.

FLORETS Fertile florets increasing in size upwards. Fertile lemma ovate; 8–20 mm long; chartaceous; without keel. Lemma margins ciliolate; hairy above. Lemma hairs dark brown. Lemma apex acuminate; mucronate. Palea 7–9 -veined; 2-keeled. Palea keels ciliolate. Palea apex dentate; 2 -fid. Apical sterile florets 1 in number; barren; lanceolate.

FLOWER Lodicules absent. Anthers 6; 4–6 mm long; red; anther tip with extended connective and pubescent. Filaments united in a tube. Stigmas 1–2. Ovary umbonate; pubescent on apex.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; lanceolate; 15 mm long; hairy at apex.

DISTRIBUTION Asia-temperate: China. 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.