Oligostachyum lubricum

HABIT Perennial. Rhizomes elongated; leptomorph. Culms 500 cm long; 20 mm diam. Culm-internodes semiterete, or channelled; 14–30 cm long; distally glabrous. Lateral branches dendroid. Branch complement three. Culm-sheaths green; pilose; with erect hairs; with yellow hairs; hairy on margins; auriculate; ciliate on shoulders. Culm-sheath ligule purple; ciliate. Culm-sheath blade lanceolate; erect. Leaves 3–4 per branch. Leaf-sheaths 3.5–4 cm long; ribbed; pubescent. Leaf-sheath oral hairs setose; spreading. Leaf-sheath auricles falcate. Ligule a ciliolate membrane; purple; truncate. Leaf-blade base with a brief petiole-like connection to sheath. Leaf-blades deciduous at the ligule; lanceolate; 10–15 cm long; 15–22 mm wide. Leaf-blade venation with distinct cross veins. Leaf-blade surface scabrous; rough abaxially; glabrous. Leaf-blade apex acuminate.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes; subtended by a spatheole. Spatheole 1.6–3.7 cm long.

Racemes 1; single; bearing few fertile spikelets.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 9 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets linear; laterally compressed; 40 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret.

GLUMES Glumes two; persistent; similar; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume elliptic; chartaceous. Lower glume apex acuminate. Upper glume elliptic; chartaceous. Upper glume apex acute.

FLORETS Fertile lemma ovate; 17–18 mm long; chartaceous; without keel; 13 -veined. Lemma lateral veins with cross-veins. Lemma apex acuminate. Palea 15 -veined. Palea keels ciliolate. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

FLOWER Lodicules 3; ciliate. Anthers 3. Stigmas 2.

DISTRIBUTION Asia-temperate: China.

NOTES Arundinarieae. Wen 2002.

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