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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 pilifera

HABIT Perennial; caespitose; clumped densely. Rhizomes short; pachymorph. Culms erect; 1500–2000 cm long; 50 mm diam.; woody. Culm-internodes terete; 60–65 cm long; retrorsely scabrous; distally pubescent. Culm-nodes with distinct supra-nodal ridge. Lateral branches dendroid. Branch complement many (50); flabellate. Leaves 2–3 per branch. Leaf-sheaths tight; puberulous; outer margin glabrous. Leaf-sheath oral hairs setose; 5–6 mm long. Ligule a ciliolate membrane; 0.2 mm long. Leaf-blade base with a brief petiole-like connection to sheath; petiole 0.2–0.25 cm long; petiole pubescent. Leaf-blades lanceolate; 2–8 cm long; 4–12 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface pilose; sparsely hairy; hairy abaxially. Leaf-blade apex acuminate.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes.

Racemes 1; single; unilateral; 2–3.5 cm long. Rhachis angular; pubescent on surface; terminating in a sterile spikelet. Spikelet packing broadside to rhachis; contiguous.

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

STERILE SPIKELETS Apical sterile spikelets rudimentary.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 fertile florets; with a barren rhachilla extension. Spikelets elliptic; laterally compressed; 13–14 mm long; 4 mm wide; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume lanceolate; 2.5 mm long; chartaceous; without keels; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex setaceously attenuate. Upper glume lanceolate; 9 mm long; membranous; 11 -veined. Upper glume lateral veins with cross-veins. Upper glume apex acute; awned; 1 -awned. Upper glume awn 1 mm long.

FLORETS Fertile lemma lanceolate; 10 mm long; 7 mm wide; chartaceous; without keel; 15 -veined. Lemma surface puberulous. Lemma margins ciliate; hairy above. Lemma apex acute. Palea lanceolate; 11 mm long; 10–12 -veined. Palea keels ciliolate. Palea surface puberulous; hairy on back.

FLOWER Lodicules 3; 2.5 mm long; ciliate. Anthers 3; 10 mm long. 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.