Merostachys scandens

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Rhizomes short; pachymorph. Culms scandent; pendulous at the tip; 600 cm long; 10–30 mm diam.; woody. Culm-internodes terete; hollow; grey and dark green; striped. Culm-nodes pubescent. Lateral branches dendroid. Branch complement many; flabellate; thinner than stem. Culm-sheaths deciduous; 15–25 cm long; 3 times as long as wide; glabrous; glabrous on margins; setose on shoulders; shoulders with curved hairs. Culm-sheath ligule 1 mm high. Culm-sheath blade linear; deciduous; reflexed; 8–12 cm long; 4–5 mm wide; attenuate. Leaves 5–6 per branch. Leaf-sheaths tight; transversely wrinkled; glabrous on surface; outer margin glabrous. Leaf-sheath oral hairs ciliate; deciduous; 3 mm long. Ligule a ciliolate membrane; 0.8 mm long. Collar with external ligule. Leaf-blade base with a brief petiole-like connection to sheath; petiole 0.25 cm long; petiole pubescent. Leaf-blades lanceolate; 3.5–10 cm long; 8–14 mm wide; glaucous. Leaf-blade venation with 4–6 secondary veins; without cross veins. Leaf-blade surface scaberulous; rough adaxially; glabrous. Leaf-blade margins scaberulous.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes.

Racemes 1; single; unilateral; 5–6 cm long; bearing 17–18 fertile spikelets on each. Rhachis angular; pubescent on surface; terminating in a sterile spikelet. Spikelet packing broadside to rhachis; contiguous; regular.

Spikelets spreading; 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; 13–14 mm long; 3 mm wide; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume lanceolate; 4.5–5 mm long; membranous; 1-keeled; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume surface puberulous. Lower glume apex attenuate. Upper glume elliptic; 9–10 mm long; chartaceous; 15 -veined. Upper glume primary vein pubescent. Upper glume surface scabrous; rough above. Upper glume margins ciliolate. Upper glume apex acuminate; awned; 1 -awned. Upper glume awn 1 mm long.

FLORETS Fertile lemma elliptic; 11 mm long; 5–5.5 mm wide; chartaceous; without keel; 19–23 -veined. Lemma lateral veins transversely connected at apex. Lemma surface pubescent. Lemma margins ciliate. Palea linear; 11 mm long; chartaceous; 12 -veined. Palea keels contiguous above a sulcus; ciliolate. Apical sterile florets 1 in number; rudimentary.

FLOWER Lodicules 3. Anthers 3. 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.