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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 robusta
HABIT Perennial; caespitose; clumped densely. Rhizomes short; pachymorph. Culms erect; 1500–2000 cm long; 70–90 mm diam.; woody; with aerial roots from the nodes. Culm-internodes terete; hollow; 30–40 cm long; light green and yellow; striped; distally pubescent. Lateral branches dendroid. Culm-sheaths deciduous; 17–35 cm long; hispid; with dark brown hairs; truncate at apex; auriculate; with 7 mm high auricles; ciliate on shoulders; shoulders with 5 mm long hairs. Culm-sheath ligule 5 mm high; fimbriate. Culm-sheath blade triangular; reflexed; 10–14 cm long; 35–50 mm wide. Leaf-sheath oral hairs setose; 5 mm long. Leaf-sheath auricles erect; 1 mm long. Ligule a ciliate membrane; 1 mm long. Collar with external ligule. Leaf-blade base with a brief petiole-like connection to sheath; petiole 0.4 cm long. Leaf-blades lanceolate; 15–27 cm long; 25–50 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface pubescent; 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 4 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets ovate; laterally compressed; 9–10 mm long; 4 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; 3–5 mm long. Upper glume margins ciliolate. Upper glume hairs tawny. Upper glume apex acute.
FLORETS Fertile florets increasing in size upwards. Fertile lemma ovate; 7–8 mm long; chartaceous; without keel. Lemma margins ciliolate. Lemma hairs tawny. Lemma apex acuminate. Palea 6–7 mm long; 2-keeled. Palea apex dentate; 2 -fid. Apical sterile florets 1 in number; barren; lanceolate.
FLOWER Lodicules absent. Anthers 6; yellow; anther tip apiculate. Filaments united in a tube (for 3/4 length). Ovary umbonate.
FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp.
DISTRIBUTION Asia-tropical: Malesia.
NOTES Bambuseae. Widjaja 1996.
Please cite this publication as detailed in How to Cite Version: 3rd February 2016.
