Merostachys ramosissima

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Rhizomes short; pachymorph. Culms arching, or leaning; 1200–1500 cm long; 20–35 mm diam.; woody. Culm-internodes terete; hollow; 98 cm long; yellow. Lateral branches dendroid. Branch complement many; flabellate. Culm-sheaths tardily deciduous; 40 cm long; 4 times as long as wide; glabrous; auriculate; setose on shoulders; shoulders with 5–6 mm long hairs. Culm-sheath ligule 0.5 mm high. Culm-sheath blade lanceolate; deciduous; reflexed; 12 cm long; 18 mm wide; hispid. Leaves 12 per branch. Leaf-sheaths tight; keeled; outer margin hairy. Leaf-sheath oral hairs setose; curly; 5 mm long; dark. Ligule a ciliolate membrane; 0.5 mm long. Collar with external ligule. Leaf-blade base with a brief petiole-like connection to sheath. Leaf-blades lanceolate; 12–31 cm long; 10–40 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface scaberulous; glabrous. Leaf-blade apex acuminate.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes.

Racemes 1; single; unilateral; 8 cm long; 42 mm wide. Rhachis angular; 2.5 mm wide; pilose on surface; terminating in a sterile spikelet. Spikelet packing broadside to rhachis; contiguous.

Spikelets spreading; in pairs. Fertile spikelets pedicelled. Pedicels fused to each other; ciliate.

STERILE SPIKELETS Apical sterile spikelets rudimentary.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 fertile florets; with a barren rhachilla extension. Spikelets elliptic; laterally compressed; 20–22 mm long; 2.5 mm wide; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume ovate; 1.5 mm long; chartaceous; without keels; 1 -veined. Lower glume primary vein ciliolate. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume margins ciliolate. Lower glume apex acuminate. Upper glume ovate; 10 mm long; membranous. Upper glume apex acuminate.

FLORETS Fertile lemma lanceolate; 13 mm long; 7 mm wide; chartaceous; without keel; 17 -veined. Lemma lateral veins transversely connected at apex. Lemma surface scaberulous. Lemma apex acute; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn 3 mm long overall. Palea 13 mm long; 8 -veined. Palea surface glabrous. Palea apex with excurrent keel veins. Rhachilla extension 12 mm long.

FLOWER Lodicules 3. Anthers 3. Stigmas 2.

FRUIT Caryopsis with free brittle pericarp; 12 mm long; yellow.

DISTRIBUTION South America: Brazil.

NOTES Bambuseae. Sendulsky 2001.

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