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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 riedeliana
HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Rhizomes short; pachymorph. Culms erect; 300–1000 cm long; woody. Culm-internodes terete; with small lumen. Lateral branches dendroid. Branch complement many; flabellate; thinner than stem. Leaf-sheaths striately veined; smooth; glabrous on surface. Leaf-sheath oral hairs setose; erect; 10–12 mm long. Ligule a ciliolate membrane; 2–3 mm long; obtuse. Collar with external ligule. Leaf-blade base with a brief petiole-like connection to sheath; petiole glabrous. Leaf-blades lanceolate, or ovate; 8–15 cm long; 20–40 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface scaberulous; rough abaxially; puberulous; hairy adaxially. Leaf-blade apex acuminate.
INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes.
Racemes 1; single; unilateral; 8–15 cm long. Rhachis pubescent on surface; terminating in a sterile spikelet. Spikelet packing broadside to rhachis; contiguous; regular.
Spikelets pectinate; solitary. Fertile spikelets sessile.
STERILE SPIKELETS Apical sterile spikelets rudimentary.
FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets lanceolate, or oblong; laterally compressed; compressed slightly; 14–18 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret.
GLUMES Glumes persistent; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume linear, or lanceolate; 0.25 length of upper glume; 1 -veined. Lower glume surface puberulous. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume lanceolate; 14–18 mm long; 1 length of adjacent fertile lemma; chartaceous; 9–13 -veined. Upper glume surface puberulous. Upper glume apex setaceously attenuate.
FLORETS Fertile lemma lanceolate; 14–18 mm long; chartaceous; without keel. Lemma surface scaberulous; puberulous; hairy above. Lemma margins ciliolate; hairy above. Lemma apex acute. Palea chartaceous. Palea keels contiguous above a sulcus; ciliolate. Apical sterile florets 1 in number; rudimentary.
FLOWER Lodicules 3; glabrous. Anthers 3. Stigmas 2.
FRUIT Caryopsis with free brittle pericarp; oblong; 8–10 mm long; glabrous.
DISTRIBUTION South America: Brazil.
NOTES Bambuseae. Martius 2003.
Please cite this publication as detailed in How to Cite Version: 3rd February 2016.
