Racemobambos congesta

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Culms scandent; 2000 cm long; woody. Culm-internodes terete; hollow; distally glabrous. Culm-nodes flush with internodes. Lateral branches dendroid. Branch complement several, or many. Culm-sheaths deciduous; chartaceous; glabrous; without auricles. Leaves cauline; 3–6 per branch. Leaf-sheath oral hairs setose; 7 mm long. Ligule an eciliate membrane. Leaf-blade base with a brief petiole-like connection to sheath. Leaf-blades lanceolate; 6–15 cm long; 4–5 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface glabrous.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes; bracteate at pedicel base.

Racemes 1; single; paucilateral; bearing few fertile spikelets; bearing 8 fertile spikelets on each.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 5 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets lanceolate; laterally compressed; 20 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Rhachilla internodes 3 mm long.

GLUMES Glumes two; persistent; shorter than spikelet.

FLORETS Fertile lemma ovate; 5–5.5 mm long; chartaceous; without keel. Palea 2 -veined. Palea keels ciliolate. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

FLOWER Lodicules 3; 1 mm long; ciliate. Anthers 6. Stigmas 3. Ovary umbonate; pubescent on apex.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp.

DISTRIBUTION Asia-tropical: Papuasia.

NOTES Bambuseae. Holttum 1996.

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