Ochlandra sivagiriana

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Rhizomes short; pachymorph. Culms leaning; 400–500 cm long; 18 mm diam.; woody. Culm-internodes terete; hollow; 36 cm long. Lateral branches dendroid. Culm-sheaths 18 cm long. Leaves cauline. Leaf-sheaths smooth; glabrous on surface. Leaf-sheath oral hairs setose. Leaf-sheath auricles falcate. Ligule an eciliate membrane. Leaf-blade base with a brief petiole-like connection to sheath; petiole 0.2–0.4 cm long. Leaf-blades lanceolate; 8–22 cm long; 12–25 mm wide. Leaf-blade venation with 14–20 secondary veins. 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; leafless between clusters.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 fertile florets. Spikelets ovate; subterete; 40 mm long; falling entire.

GLUMES Glumes two; similar; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume elliptic; 8 mm long. Lower glume apex acuminate. Upper glume elliptic; 15 mm long. Upper glume apex acuminate.

FLORETS Fertile lemma ovate; 30 mm long; chartaceous; without keel. Lemma margins convolute; covering most of palea. Lemma apex acute. Palea tightly convolute around flower; 32 mm long; without keels.

FLOWER Lodicules several (6); 1.5 mm long; membranous; veined. Anthers 27–32; anther tip apiculate. Filaments free. Stigmas 5. Ovary with a steeple-like appendage.

FRUIT Caryopsis with fleshy pericarp. Endosperm farinose.

DISTRIBUTION Asia-tropical: India.

NOTES Bambuseae. Seeth. & Kumar 2002.

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