Indosasa sinica

HABIT Perennial. Rhizomes elongated; leptomorph. Culms erect; 500–1000 cm long; 30–60 mm diam.; woody. Culm-internodes terete; hollow; 35–50 cm long; dark green, or brown; scaberulous; distally mealy and hispid. Lateral branches dendroid; spreading. Branch complement three; thinner than stem. Culm-sheaths yellow; hispid; setose on shoulders; shoulders with curved hairs; shoulders with 10–15 mm long hairs. Culm-sheath ligule 2–3 mm high; ciliate. Culm-sheath blade lanceolate; reflexed; scabrid and pubescent. Leaves 3–9 per branch. Leaf-sheath oral hairs ciliate; deciduous; 4–8 mm long; dark. Leaf-sheath auricles absent, or erect. Ligule an eciliate membrane. Leaf-blade base with a brief petiole-like connection to sheath. Leaf-blades lanceolate; 12–22 cm long; 15–30 mm wide. Leaf-blade venation with 10–12 secondary veins. Leaf-blade apex acuminate.

INFLORESCENCE Synflorescence bractiferous; paniculate; lax; with glumaceous subtending bracts; with axillary buds at base of spikelet; prophyllate below lateral spikelets.

Fertile spikelets sessile.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 10–18 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets linear; laterally compressed; 45–130 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Rhachilla internodes 7 mm long; glabrous.

GLUMES Glumes several; persistent; similar; shorter than spikelet.

FLORETS Fertile lemma ovate; 12–15 mm long; coriaceous; shiny; without keel. Lemma lateral veins with cross-veins. Lemma apex acute. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

FLOWER Lodicules 3. Anthers 6; 7 mm long; purple. Stigmas 3. Ovary glabrous.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; ellipsoid; 8 mm long; light brown.

DISTRIBUTION Asia-temperate: China.

NOTES Arundinarieae. Chu & Chao 1996.

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