Merostachys filgueirasii

HABIT Perennial; caespitose; clumped densely. Rhizomes short; pachymorph; scaly. Culms erect; drooping at the tip; 200–1000 cm long; 10–15 mm diam.; woody. Culm-internodes terete; hollow; light green and dark green; mottled. Culm-nodes with distinct supra-nodal ridge; glabrous. Lateral branches dendroid. Branch complement many; flabellate; thinner than stem. Culm-sheaths deciduous; 12–15 cm long; 1.5 times as long as wide; glabrous; glabrous on margins, or hairy on margins; setose on shoulders; shoulders with 12 mm long hairs. Culm-sheath ligule ciliolate. Culm-sheath blade linear; deciduous; reflexed; 4–5 cm long; 4 mm wide. Leaves 4–7 per branch. Leaf-sheaths tight; glabrous on surface; outer margin hairy. Leaf-sheath oral hairs setose; curly; 5–7 mm long. Ligule a ciliolate membrane; 0.5 mm long. Collar with external ligule. Leaf-blade base with a brief petiole-like connection to sheath; petiole 0.3 cm long; petiole pubescent. Leaf-blades lanceolate, or ovate; 4–9 cm long; 8–12 mm wide; light green. Leaf-blade venation without cross veins. Leaf-blade surface pubescent; hairy adaxially. Leaf-blade margins scaberulous.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes.

Racemes 1; single; unilateral; 3.5–4.5 cm long; bearing 16–20 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; acute; 13.5–14 mm long; 3 mm wide; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume elliptic; 2 mm long; membranous; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume surface pubescent. Lower glume apex acuminate; mucronate. Upper glume ovate; 8–10 mm long; chartaceous; 7–9 -veined. Upper glume surface asperulous; rough at apex; puberulous. Upper glume apex acuminate; awned; 1 -awned. Upper glume awn 1 mm long.

FLORETS Fertile lemma ovate; 8–9 mm long; 6 mm wide; chartaceous; without keel; 21–23 -veined. Lemma surface puberulous. Palea 11 mm long; 1 length of lemma; chartaceous; 12 -veined. Palea keels contiguous above a sulcus; ciliolate. Rhachilla extension 7 mm long. Apical sterile florets 1 in number; rudimentary.

FLOWER Lodicules 3. Anthers 3; 6 mm long. Stigmas 2.

FRUIT Caryopsis with free brittle pericarp; ellipsoid; 7.5 mm long; light brown; striate; cuspidate.

DISTRIBUTION South America: Brazil.

NOTES Bambuseae. Sendulsky 2001.

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