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Descriptions

W.D. Clayton, M. Vorontsova, K.T. Harman & H. Williamson

© Copyright The Board of Trustees, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

Merostachys leptophylla

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Rhizomes short; pachymorph. Culms 900–1200 cm long; 12–15 mm diam.; woody. Culm-internodes terete; hollow; grey; smooth. Culm-nodes flush with internodes; pallid; glabrous. Lateral branches dendroid. Branch complement many (50–65); flabellate. Culm-sheaths deciduous; 12–13 cm long; 4 times as long as wide; smooth; setose on shoulders; shoulders with curved hairs; shoulders with 6–8 mm long hairs. Culm-sheath ligule 0.5 mm high. Culm-sheath blade lanceolate; deciduous; reflexed; 8.5–13 cm long; 7–8 mm wide; glabrous on surface, or pubescent. Leaves 5–11 per branch. Leaf-sheaths tight; glabrous on surface. Leaf-sheath oral hairs setose; curly. Ligule a ciliolate membrane; 0.5 mm long. Collar with external ligule. Leaf-blade base asymmetrical; with a brief petiole-like connection to sheath; petiole 0.15 cm long; petiole glabrous. Leaf-blades linear, or lanceolate; 6.5–10 cm long; 4–8 mm wide; grey-green. Leaf-blade margins scabrous. Leaf-blade apex acuminate.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes.

Racemes 1; single; unilateral; 2–3.5 cm long; bearing 4–9 fertile spikelets on each. Rhachis angular; pilose on surface; terminating in a sterile spikelet. Spikelet packing broadside to rhachis; distant.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled. Pedicels 1.5 mm long; ciliate.

STERILE SPIKELETS Apical sterile spikelets rudimentary.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 fertile florets; with a barren rhachilla extension. Spikelets elliptic; laterally compressed; 8 mm long; 2.5 mm wide; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume lanceolate; 2 mm long; chartaceous; without keels; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume ovate; 6.5 mm long; membranous; 7–9 -veined. Upper glume surface asperulous; glabrous. Upper glume apex attenuate.

FLORETS Fertile lemma ovate; 7.5 mm long; coriaceous; yellow; without keel. Lemma apex acute. Palea 6.5 mm long.

FLOWER Lodicules 3. Anthers 3. Stigmas 2.

FRUIT Caryopsis with free brittle pericarp.

DISTRIBUTION South America: Brazil.

NOTES Bambuseae. Sendulsky 2001.

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