Merostachys abadiana

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Rhizomes short; pachymorph. Culms erect; 200 cm long; woody. Culm-internodes terete; hollow; yellow; smooth. Culm-nodes without obvious supra-nodal ridge. Lateral branches dendroid. Branch complement many; flabellate; thinner than stem. Culm-sheaths deciduous. Leaves 4–5 per branch. Leaf-sheaths tight; puberulous; outer margin glabrous. Leaf-sheath oral hairs setose; curly; 2–3 mm long. Ligule a ciliolate membrane; 1 mm long; pubescent on abaxial surface. Collar with external ligule. Leaf-blade base with a brief petiole-like connection to sheath; petiole 0.2 cm long; petiole pilose. Leaf-blades ovate; 4–12 cm long; 15–20 mm wide. Leaf-blade venation without cross veins. Leaf-blade surface scabrous; rough adaxially; puberulous; hairy abaxially.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes.

Racemes 1; single; unilateral; 2–4 cm long; bearing 4–15 fertile spikelets on each. Rhachis pubescent on surface; terminating in a sterile spikelet. Spikelet packing broadside to rhachis; contiguous; regular.

Spikelets pectinate; solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled. Pedicels oblong; pubescent.

STERILE SPIKELETS Apical sterile spikelets rudimentary.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets elliptic; laterally compressed; 11–13 mm long; 3–4 mm wide; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume elliptic; 3 mm long; membranous; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume surface puberulous. Lower glume apex acuminate. Upper glume lanceolate; 8.5 mm long; chartaceous; 11–13 -veined. Upper glume surface puberulous. Upper glume apex acute.

FLORETS Fertile lemma ovate; 9 mm long; 6 mm wide; chartaceous; dark brown and light brown; mottled with last colour; shiny; without keel; 15–16 -veined. Lemma surface puberulous. Lemma margins ciliate. Lemma hairs red. Palea lanceolate; 9 mm long; 1 length of lemma; chartaceous; 10 -veined. Palea keels contiguous above a sulcus; ciliolate. Palea surface puberulous; hairy on back; hairy above. Apical sterile florets 1 in number; rudimentary.

FLOWER Lodicules 3. Anthers 3. Stigmas 2.

FRUIT Caryopsis with free brittle pericarp; ovoid; 4.5 mm long; yellow; cuspidate.

DISTRIBUTION South America: Brazil.

NOTES Bambuseae. Sendulsky 2001.

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