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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 rondoniensis
HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Rhizomes short; pachymorph. Culms 15 mm diam.; woody. Culm-internodes terete; hollow; retrorsely scabrous. Culm-nodes swollen; brown; pubescent. Lateral branches dendroid. Branch complement many (27–30); flabellate. Culm-sheaths deciduous; 12 cm long; 2–3 times as long as wide; brown; pilose; setose on shoulders; shoulders with 5 mm long hairs. Culm-sheath ligule 1 mm high. Leaves 4–5 per branch. Leaf-sheaths tight; keeled; transversely wrinkled; glabrous on surface; outer margin hairy. Leaf-sheath oral hairs setose; spreading, or curly; 7–8 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; 4–13.5 cm long; 10–24 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface glabrous. Leaf-blade apex acuminate.
INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes.
Racemes 1; single; unilateral; 8–9 cm long. Rhachis angular; pilose on surface; terminating in a sterile spikelet. Spikelet packing broadside to rhachis; lax.
Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.
STERILE SPIKELETS Apical sterile spikelets rudimentary.
FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 fertile florets; with a barren rhachilla extension. Spikelets elliptic; laterally compressed; 15–17 mm long; 4 mm wide; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret.
GLUMES Glumes persistent; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume elliptic; 7 mm long; chartaceous; 1-keeled; 5 -veined. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume elliptic; 9 mm long; membranous; 9 -veined. Upper glume surface pubescent; hairy above. Upper glume apex acute.
FLORETS Fertile lemma ovate; 14 mm long; 7 mm wide; chartaceous; without keel; 18–19 -veined. Lemma lateral veins transversely connected at apex. Lemma surface granulose. Lemma margins ciliate. Lemma apex acute. Palea 13–14 mm long; 10 -veined. Rhachilla extension 11 mm long; pubescent.
FLOWER Lodicules 3. Anthers 3; 11 mm long; brown. 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.
