Gigantochloa vietnamica

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Rhizomes short; pachymorph. Culms erect; 1500–2000 cm long; 60–120 mm diam.; woody. Culm-internodes terete. Lateral branches dendroid. Culm-sheaths persistent; 25–37 cm long; 1 times as long as wide; chartaceous; glabrous; without auricles. Culm-sheath ligule 1–2 mm high. Leaf-sheath auricles absent. Ligule a ciliolate membrane; 1 mm long. Collar with external ligule. Leaf-blade base with a brief petiole-like connection to sheath; petiole 0.3–0.4 cm long. Leaf-blades lanceolate; 17–35 cm long; 25–45 mm wide. Leaf-blade venation with 19–27 secondary veins; without cross veins.

INFLORESCENCE Synflorescence bractiferous; clustered at the nodes; in untidy tufts; with glumaceous subtending bracts; with axillary buds at base of spikelet; prophyllate below lateral spikelets.

Fertile spikelets sessile.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 2–4 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets lanceolate; subterete; 15–30 mm long; 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. Upper glume lanceolate; 5–7 mm long. Upper glume apex acute.

FLORETS Fertile florets increasing in size upwards. Fertile lemma lanceolate; 8–9 mm long; 4–8 mm wide; coriaceous; without keel; 15–17 -veined. Lemma apex acute. Palea 1 length of lemma. Palea keels ciliolate.

FLOWER Lodicules 3; ciliate. Anthers 6. Filaments united in a tube. Stigmas 1. Ovary pubescent on apex.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp.

DISTRIBUTION Asia-tropical: Indo-China.

NOTES Bambuseae. Nguyen 2002.

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