New! - Search other data sources for Myriocladus virgatus

Help - Wrong Description?

Kew Data Sources

Kew's Herbarium Catalogue
ePIC - Electronic Plant Information Centre

External Data Sources

Note - this takes you off of our website
Use your browser's back button to return to this page

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.

Myriocladus virgatus

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Rhizomes short; pachymorph. Culms erect; 300–400 cm long. Culm-internodes shorter and closely spaced at top of culm; terete; hollow. Lateral branches lacking. Leaf-sheaths longer than adjacent culm internode. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 1 mm long. Leaf-blades lanceolate; 30–40 cm long; 25–30 mm wide; coriaceous. Leaf-blade venation without cross veins. Leaf-blade apex acuminate.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes.

Racemes numerous; borne along a central axis; unilateral; 1–3 cm long. Central inflorescence axis 30–100 cm long. Rhachis pubescent on surface.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled. Pedicels oblong.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1–2 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets oblong; laterally compressed; 3–3.5 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret, or above glumes but not between florets.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; dissimilar; shorter than spikelet; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume subulate; 1.5 mm long. Upper glume ovate; 1.5–2 mm long; 0.6–0.7 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; without keels; 1 -veined. Upper glume lateral veins absent. Upper glume apex acute; awned; 1 -awned. Upper glume awn 1 mm long.

FLORETS Basal sterile florets barren; without significant palea; persisting on inflorescence. Lemma of lower sterile floret similar to upper glume; ovate; 2–3 mm long; membranous; 1 -veined; without lateral veins; obtuse; awned. Awn of lower sterile floret 0.5–2 mm long. Fertile lemma elliptic; 3–3.5 mm long; coriaceous; shiny; without keel; 5 -veined. Lemma margins ciliolate. Lemma apex obtuse. Apical sterile florets 1 in number; barren; linear; 1–2 mm long.

FLOWER Lodicules 3; membranous; veined. Anthers 3. Stigmas 2. Ovary glabrous.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp.

DISTRIBUTION South America: northern South America.

NOTES Bambuseae. WDC.

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