Pleioblastus rugatus

HABIT Perennial. Rhizomes elongated; leptomorph. Culms erect; 500 cm long; 20 mm diam.; woody. Culm-internodes terete; hollow; 35 cm long. Lateral branches dendroid. Culm-sheaths deciduous; coriaceous; hispid; auriculate; setose on shoulders; shoulders with 8 mm long hairs. Culm-sheath ligule ciliate. Culm-sheath blade triangular. Leaves cauline; 3–4 per branch. Leaf-sheaths 5 cm long; reticulately veined; glabrous on surface. Leaf-sheath oral hairs lacking. Leaf-sheath auricles absent. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 2 mm long. Leaf-blade base with a brief petiole-like connection to sheath. Leaf-blades lanceolate, or elliptic; 11–18 cm long; 14–30 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface glabrous. Leaf-blade apex attenuate.

INFLORESCENCE Synflorescence compound. Inflorescence comprising only a few spikelets; terminal and axillary; subtended by a spatheole; embraced at base by subtending leaf.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 5–7 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets linear; laterally compressed; 30 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret.

GLUMES Glumes several; 3 empty glumes; persistent; similar; shorter than spikelet.

FLORETS Fertile lemma lanceolate; 9 mm long; 3 mm wide; chartaceous; without keel; 7–9 -veined. Lemma lateral veins without cross-veins. Lemma apex acute. Palea 10 mm long. Palea keels ciliate. Palea surface pubescent; hairy above. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

FLOWER Lodicules 3. Anthers 3. Stigmas 3. Ovary glabrous.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; apex unappendaged.

DISTRIBUTION Asia-temperate: China.

NOTES Arundinarieae. Wen & Chen 2002.

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