New! - Search other data sources for Chusquea spectabilis

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.

Chusquea spectabilis

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Rhizomes short; pachymorph. Culms erect; robust; 600–800 cm long; woody. Culm-internodes terete. Lateral branches lacking. Leaf-sheaths striately veined; pubescent. Leaf-sheath auricles erect. Ligule a ciliolate membrane; 40 mm long; scarious; bilobed. Leaf-blade base without a false petiole, or with a false petiole; petiole 7–10 cm long. Leaf-blades lanceolate; 70 cm long; 40 mm wide; coriaceous. Leaf-blade midrib conspicuous. Leaf-blade surface pubescent; hairy abaxially. Leaf-blade apex attenuate.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.

Panicle open; ovate. Primary panicle branches 1 -nate. Panicle axis glabrous.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled. Pedicels 20–30 mm long.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 2 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets oblong; laterally compressed; 6–8 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; similar; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume oblong; 2 mm long; 1 length of upper glume; coriaceous; without keels; 0 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex obtuse. Upper glume ovate; 2 mm long; 0.2–0.4 length of adjacent fertile lemma; coriaceous; without keels; 0 -veined. Upper glume primary vein absent. Upper glume lateral veins absent. Upper glume apex obtuse.

FLORETS Basal sterile florets similar; barren; without significant palea; attached to and deciduous with the fertile. Lemma of lower sterile floret lanceolate; 4–5 mm long; 0.66 length of fertile lemma; coriaceous; 3 -veined; ciliolate on margins; fringed above; obtuse. Lemma of upper sterile floret lanceolate; 4–5 mm long; coriaceous; ciliolate on margins; fringed above; obtuse. Fertile lemma lanceolate; 6–8 mm long; coriaceous; without keel; 3 -veined. Lemma lateral veins obscure. Lemma apex acute. Palea lanceolate; coriaceous; 2 -veined; without keels. Palea apex obtuse.

FLOWER Lodicules 3. Anthers 3. Stigmas 2.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp.

DISTRIBUTION South America: western South America.

NOTES Bambuseae. Pilger 2001.

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