Racemobambos setifera

HABIT Perennial. Rhizomes elongated; pachymorph. Culms 5–10 mm diam.; woody. Culm-internodes terete; hollow. Lateral branches dendroid. Leaves cauline; 5–8 per branch. Leaf-sheath oral hairs ciliate. Ligule an eciliate membrane. Leaf-blade base with a brief petiole-like connection to sheath; petiole 0.1 cm long. Leaf-blades lanceolate; 10–18 cm long; 8–12 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface pilose; sparsely hairy; hairy abaxially.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes; bracteate at pedicel base.

Racemes 1; single; paucilateral; 2–4 cm long; bearing few fertile spikelets; bearing 2–5 fertile spikelets on each.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 3 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets lanceolate; laterally compressed; 15–20 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Rhachilla internodes 3–4.5 mm long.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; dissimilar; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume lanceolate; 6 mm long; 0.6–0.7 length of upper glume; membranous; without keels; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume ovate; 10 mm long; 0.66 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; without keels; keel-less except near apex; 9 -veined. Upper glume margins ciliate. Upper glume apex acute.

FLORETS Fertile lemma ovate; 14–15 mm long; membranous; without keel. Lemma margins ciliate. Lemma apex setaceously attenuate. Palea 10 mm long. Palea keels ciliolate; adorned above. Palea apex dentate; 2 -fid. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

FLOWER Lodicules 3; 3 mm long; ciliate. Anthers 6; 5 mm long. Stigmas 3. Ovary umbonate; pubescent on apex.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp.

DISTRIBUTION Asia-tropical: Malesia.

NOTES Bambuseae. Holttum 1995.

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