Guadua velutina

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Rhizomes short; pachymorph. Culms erect; 300–500 cm long; 50–100 mm diam.; woody. Culm-internodes terete; with small lumen; mid-green; distally glabrous. Lateral branches dendroid. Culm-sheaths hispid; auriculate; with 10–40 mm high auricles; setose on shoulders; shoulders with 5–10 mm long hairs. Culm-sheath blade lanceolate; 11–17 cm long; pubescent. Leaf-sheaths pubescent. Leaf-sheath oral hairs setose; 5–10 mm long. Leaf-sheath auricles absent. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 0.3–0.5 mm long. Collar with external ligule. Leaf-blade base with a brief petiole-like connection to sheath. Leaf-blades linear, or lanceolate; 10–20 cm long; 11–22 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 4–8 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets linear; laterally compressed; 50–70 mm long; 3–5 mm wide; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret.

GLUMES Glumes several; 4–7 empty glumes; persistent; shorter than spikelet. Upper glume ovate; 4–15 mm long.

FLORETS Fertile lemma ovate; 12–15 mm long; coriaceous; without keel; 25–30 -veined. Lemma surface pubescent. Lemma apex apiculate. Palea 8–13 mm long. Palea keels winged; conspicuously winged; ciliate. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

FLOWER Lodicules 3. Anthers 6; 5–9 mm long. Stigmas 3. Ovary umbonate.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp.

DISTRIBUTION North America: Mexico.

NOTES Bambuseae. Fl Meso-Am 1997.

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