Guadua sarcocarpa

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Rhizomes short; pachymorph. Culms arching; 1000–2000 cm long; 80–100 mm diam.; woody; with root thorns from the nodes. Culm-internodes terete; hollow; 40–90 cm long; mid-green. Culm-nodes without obvious supra-nodal ridge; pubescent. Lateral branches dendroid; intravaginal. Bud complement 1. Branch complement one; thinner than stem. Culm-sheaths deciduous; puberulous; without auricles. Culm-sheath ligule 2–3 mm high; ciliolate. Culm-sheath blade triangular; erect; 3–9 cm long; pubescent; mucronate. Leaves 7–9 per branch. Leaf-sheaths reticulately veined; glabrous on surface, or puberulous. Leaf-sheath oral hairs setose; deciduous; 10 mm long. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 2–3 mm long; brown. Collar with external ligule. Leaf-blade base broadly rounded; with a brief petiole-like connection to sheath; petiole 0.6–0.8 cm long; petiole glabrous. Leaf-blades lanceolate; 13–24 cm long; 18–35 mm wide. Leaf-blade venation with 17–19 secondary veins; with distinct cross veins. Leaf-blade surface papillose; rough abaxially; glabrous, or pubescent. Leaf-blade apex acuminate.

INFLORESCENCE Synflorescence bractiferous; scanty; lax; with glumaceous subtending bracts; bracts 6–10 mm long; with axillary buds at base of spikelet; prophyllate below lateral spikelets.

Fertile spikelets sessile.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 4–8 fertile florets; with a barren rhachilla extension, or with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets lanceolate; laterally compressed; 10–17 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Rhachilla internodes 5–9 mm long; obscured by lemmas; pubescent.

GLUMES Glumes two; persistent; similar; shorter than spikelet; shiny. Upper glume lanceolate; 6–16 mm long; coriaceous; without keels; 11–17 -veined. Upper glume lateral veins with cross-veins. Upper glume surface puberulous. Upper glume apex acute.

FLORETS Fertile lemma lanceolate; 20–35 mm long; coriaceous; shiny; without keel; 25–30 -veined. Lemma surface puberulous; hairy above. Lemma apex acute; mucronate. Palea 25 mm long; 9–10 -veined. Palea keels winged; conspicuously winged. Palea surface pubescent; hairy on back. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

FLOWER Lodicules 3; 9–11 mm long; veined; ciliate. Anthers 6; 15–20 mm long. Stigmas 3. Ovary pubescent all over.

FRUIT Caryopsis with fleshy pericarp; oblong, or ovoid; 15–60 mm long; hairy all over. Endosperm liquid.

DISTRIBUTION South America: western South America and Brazil.

NOTES Bambuseae. Londono & Pet 1995.

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