Gigantochloa vinhphuica

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Rhizomes short; pachymorph. Culms erect; 2000–2500 cm long; 100–130 mm diam.; woody. Culm-internodes terete. Lateral branches dendroid. Culm-sheaths persistent; 10–15 cm long; 0.35 times as long as wide; chartaceous; yellow; auriculate; setose on shoulders. Leaf-sheath oral hairs lacking. Leaf-sheath auricles falcate. Ligule a ciliolate membrane; 1 mm long. Collar with external ligule. Leaf-blade base with a brief petiole-like connection to sheath; petiole 0.1 cm long. Leaf-blades lanceolate; 15–23 cm long; 15–27 mm wide. Leaf-blade venation with 7–9 secondary veins; without cross veins. Leaf-blade surface glabrous, or puberulous; hairy abaxially.

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 2–3 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets lanceolate; subterete; 7–20 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; 4–8 mm long. Upper glume surface pilose; hairy above. Upper glume margins ciliate. Upper glume apex acute.

FLORETS Fertile florets increasing in size upwards. Fertile lemma lanceolate; 8–12 mm long; 4–8 mm wide; coriaceous; without keel; 19–31 -veined. Lemma surface pilose. Lemma margins ciliate. Lemma apex acute. Palea 9–12 mm long. Palea keels ciliolate.

FLOWER Lodicules absent. 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.