Merostachys neesii

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Rhizomes short; pachymorph. Culms erect; 500–1000 cm long; 30 mm diam.; woody. Culm-internodes terete; hollow. Lateral branches dendroid. Branch complement many; flabellate; thinner than stem. Culm-sheaths deciduous. Leaves 4–10 per branch. Leaf-sheaths tight. Leaf-sheath oral hairs lacking. Ligule a ciliolate membrane. Collar with external ligule. Leaf-blade base with a brief petiole-like connection to sheath. Leaf-blades lanceolate; 13–18 cm long; 15–25 mm wide. Leaf-blade venation without cross veins.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes.

Racemes 1; single; arcuate; unilateral; 15–19 cm long. Rhachis terminating in a sterile spikelet. Spikelet packing broadside to rhachis; contiguous; regular.

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

STERILE SPIKELETS Apical sterile spikelets rudimentary.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets elliptic; laterally compressed; 18 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume linear; 5–6.5 mm long; membranous; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex acuminate. Upper glume lanceolate; 1.7–1.8 mm long; chartaceous. Upper glume apex acuminate; awned; 1 -awned.

FLORETS Fertile lemma lanceolate; 17 mm long; 7 mm wide; chartaceous; without keel. Palea chartaceous. Palea keels contiguous above a sulcus. Apical sterile florets 1 in number; rudimentary.

FLOWER Lodicules 3. Anthers 3. Stigmas 2.

FRUIT Caryopsis with free brittle pericarp; ovoid; 10 mm long; dark brown.

DISTRIBUTION South America: Brazil.

NOTES Bambuseae. Fl Sant de Chile 2001.

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