Guadua amplexifolia

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Rhizomes short; pachymorph. Culms 1000–2000 cm long; 60–100 mm diam.; woody. Culm-internodes terete; with small lumen, or solid; mid-green; distally glabrous. Lateral branches dendroid. Culm-sheaths glabrous; without auricles, or auriculate; setose on shoulders; shoulders with 4–8 mm long hairs. Culm-sheath blade lanceolate; 5–20 cm long; brown pubescent. Leaf-sheaths glabrous on surface. Leaf-sheath oral hairs setose. Leaf-sheath auricles falcate; 20–35 mm long. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 0.5 mm long. Collar with external ligule. Leaf-blade base with a brief petiole-like connection to sheath. Leaf-blades lanceolate; 16–24 cm long; 30–51 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface glabrous. Leaf-blade apex acuminate.

INFLORESCENCE Synflorescence bractiferous; clustered at the nodes; in untidy tufts; lax; with glumaceous subtending bracts; prophyllate below lateral spikelets; leafy between clusters.

Fertile spikelets sessile.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 6–10 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets linear; laterally compressed; 35–60 mm long; 4–5 mm wide; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret.

GLUMES Glumes several; 3–4 empty glumes; persistent; shorter than spikelet. Upper glume ovate; 4–8 mm long.

FLORETS Fertile lemma ovate; 14–16 mm long; coriaceous; without keel; 21–25 -veined. Lemma surface glabrous, or pilose. Lemma apex apiculate. Palea 0.9 length of lemma. Palea keels winged; conspicuously winged; ciliolate. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

FLOWER Lodicules 3. Anthers 6; 6–7 mm long. Stigmas 3. Ovary umbonate.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp.

DISTRIBUTION North America: Mexico. South America: Mesoamericana, northern South America, and western South America.

NOTES Bambuseae. Fl Meso-Am 1997.

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