Guadua longifolia

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Rhizomes short; pachymorph. Culms erect; 400–1000 cm long; 20–50 mm diam.; woody. Culm-internodes terete; with small lumen, or solid; mid-green; distally glabrous, or pilose; with tubercle-based hairs. Lateral branches dendroid. Culm-sheaths glabrous, or pubescent; with white hairs; without auricles; glabrous on shoulders. Culm-sheath blade lanceolate; 2–9 cm long; pubescent. Leaf-sheaths glabrous on surface, or hispid; outer margin hairy. Leaf-sheath oral hairs setose; 2–7 mm long. Leaf-sheath auricles absent. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 0.1–0.2 mm long. Collar with external ligule. Leaf-blade base with a brief petiole-like connection to sheath. Leaf-blades linear; 13–27 cm long; 4–7 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface glabrous; hairless except near base. 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 5–8 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets linear; laterally compressed; 50–130 mm long; 3–4 mm wide; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret.

GLUMES Glumes several; 3–8 empty glumes; persistent; shorter than spikelet. Upper glume ovate; 3–14 mm long.

FLORETS Fertile lemma ovate; 15–21 mm long; coriaceous; without keel; 17–23 -veined. Lemma surface glabrous. Lemma apex mucronate. Principal lemma awn 3–5 mm long overall. Palea 10–15 mm long. Palea keels winged; conspicuously winged; ciliate. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

FLOWER Lodicules 3. Anthers 3; 7–8.5 mm long. Stigmas 3. Ovary umbonate.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp.

DISTRIBUTION North America: Mexico. South America: Mesoamericana.

NOTES Bambuseae. Fl Meso-Am 1997.

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