|
Note - this takes you off
of our website |
GrassBase - The Online World Grass Flora
Descriptions
W.D. Clayton, M. Vorontsova, K.T. Harman & H. Williamson
© Copyright The Board of Trustees, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
Himalayacalamus falconeri
HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Rhizomes short; pachymorph. Culms 400–500 cm long; 15–20 mm diam.; woody; without nodal roots. Culm-internodes terete; hollow; 20–35 cm long; smooth; distally pruinose. Lateral branches dendroid. Branch complement many. Culm-sheaths 20–30 cm long; 4 times as long as wide; chartaceous; yellow; pubescent; truncate at apex. Culm-sheath ligule brown. Culm-sheath blade linear; reflexed; 7–13 cm long. Leaf-sheaths glabrous on surface; outer margin hairy. Leaf-sheath oral hairs pubescent. Ligule an eciliate membrane; obtuse. Collar with external ligule. Leaf-blade base with a brief petiole-like connection to sheath; petiole 0.2 cm long. Leaf-blades linear, or oblong; 7–15 cm long; 12–20 mm wide; dark green. Leaf-blade midrib evident. Leaf-blade venation with 6–8 secondary veins; without cross veins. Leaf-blade surface smooth. Leaf-blade margins scabrous.
INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes; subtended by a spatheole; embraced at base by subtending leaf.
Racemes 1; single; 2.5 cm long; bearing few fertile spikelets; bearing 5–7 fertile spikelets on each.
Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.
FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 fertile florets; with a barren rhachilla extension, or with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets lanceolate; laterally compressed; 10–12 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret.
GLUMES Glumes persistent; similar; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume oblong; chartaceous; without keels; 3–5 -veined. Lower glume apex acute; muticous, or mucronate. Upper glume oblong; 7–9 mm long; chartaceous; without keels; 3–5 -veined. Upper glume apex acute; muticous, or mucronate.
FLORETS Fertile lemma ovate; 8–9 mm long; chartaceous; without keel; 5–7 -veined. Lemma margins ciliolate; hairy above. Lemma apex mucronate. Palea 1 length of lemma; 4 -veined. Palea apex pubescent; with excurrent keel veins. Rhachilla extension pilose; hairy at tip. Apical sterile florets distinct from fertile; 1 in number; rudimentary.
FLOWER Lodicules 3; veined; ciliate. Anthers 3; purple. Stigmas 3. Ovary glabrous.
FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; oblong; sulcate on hilar side; apex unappendaged.
DISTRIBUTION Asia-temperate: China. Asia-tropical: India. Australasia: New Zealand.
NOTES Arundinarieae. Gamble 1995.
Please cite this publication as detailed in How to Cite Version: 3rd February 2016.
