Neololeba hirsuta

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Rhizomes short; pachymorph. Culms 400–500 cm long; 25 mm diam.; woody; without nodal roots. Culm-internodes terete; hollow; 50–75 cm long; distally hispid. Lateral branches dendroid. Culm-sheaths glabrous, or hispid; auriculate; with 2 mm high auricles; setose on shoulders; shoulders with curved hairs; shoulders with 10 mm long hairs. Culm-sheath ligule ciliate. Culm-sheath blade ovate; erect; acuminate. Leaves cauline. Leaf-sheath oral hairs ciliate. Leaf-sheath auricles falcate. Ligule an eciliate membrane; entire. Collar with external ligule. Leaf-blade base truncate, or broadly rounded; with a brief petiole-like connection to sheath. Leaf-blades lanceolate; 20–35 cm long; 17–42 mm wide; glaucous. Leaf-blade surface pubescent; hairy abaxially. Leaf-blade apex acuminate.

INFLORESCENCE Synflorescence bractiferous; clustered at the nodes; in untidy tufts; with glumaceous subtending bracts; with axillary buds at base of spikelet; prophyllate below lateral spikelets.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 6–8 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate; laterally compressed; 13 mm long; 3.5 mm wide; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Rhachilla internodes definite; 1.5 mm long.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume 5.5 mm long. Upper glume 7 mm long.

FLORETS Fertile lemma ovate; 7 mm long; without keel. Lemma surface hispidulous; hairy above. Lemma margins ciliate; hairy above. Lemma apex acute; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn 1.5–2 mm long overall. Palea 6–8 -veined. Palea keels ciliolate.

FLOWER Lodicules absent. Anthers 6; 4 mm long; anther tip apiculate. Stigmas 3. Ovary umbonate; pubescent on apex.

DISTRIBUTION Asia-tropical: Papuasia.

NOTES Bambuseae. Holttum 1996.

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