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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.
Merostachys latifolia
HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Rhizomes short; pachymorph. Culms erect; 150–400 cm long; 4–8 mm diam.; woody. Culm-internodes terete; hollow; mid-green and purple; mottled; scaberulous. Culm-nodes bearded. Lateral branches dendroid. Bud complement 1. Branch complement many; flabellate. Leaves 2–6 per branch. Leaf-sheaths glabrous on surface, or puberulous. Leaf-sheath oral hairs setose; 10–15 mm long. Ligule a ciliolate membrane; 0.1–0.6 mm long. Leaf-blade base with a brief petiole-like connection to sheath; petiole 0.6–1 cm long. Leaf-blades ovate; 15–20 cm long; 28–49 mm wide; dark green. Leaf-blade surface glabrous. Leaf-blade margins scabrous.
INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes.
Racemes 1; single; arcuate; unilateral; 5–7 cm long. Rhachis 1 mm wide; pubescent on surface; terminating in a sterile spikelet. Spikelet packing broadside to rhachis; contiguous; regular; 2 -rowed.
Spikelets pectinate; solitary, or in pairs. Fertile spikelets sessile.
STERILE SPIKELETS Apical sterile spikelets rudimentary.
FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; with a barren rhachilla extension, or with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets elliptic; curved; laterally compressed; compressed slightly; 10–13 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret.
GLUMES Glumes one the lower absent or obscure; persistent; shorter than spikelet. Upper glume ovate; 1.5–3.5 mm long; chartaceous; without keels; 1 -veined. Upper glume lateral veins absent. Upper glume apex acute.
FLORETS Basal sterile florets barren; without significant palea; attached to and deciduous with the fertile. Lemma of lower sterile floret similar to fertile lemma; ovate; 4.7–7 mm long; chartaceous; 7 -veined; glabrous; acute. Fertile lemma ovate; 9–10 mm long; chartaceous; without keel; 11 -veined. Lemma surface puberulous, or pubescent. Lemma apex acute. Palea 9.2–10.5 mm long; 1.1 length of lemma; chartaceous; 2 -veined. Palea keels contiguous above a sulcus. Rhachilla extension 6.5–10 mm long. Apical sterile florets distinct from fertile; 1 in number; rudimentary.
FLOWER Lodicules 3. Anthers 3. Stigmas 2.
FRUIT Caryopsis with free brittle pericarp.
DISTRIBUTION South America: Mesoamericana.
NOTES Bambuseae. Pohl 1995.
Please cite this publication as detailed in How to Cite Version: 3rd February 2016.
