Rhipidocladum bartlettii

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Rhizomes short; pachymorph. Culms arching; 200–1000 cm long; 2–8 mm diam.; woody. Culm-internodes terete; hollow. Lateral branches dendroid. Branch complement many; flabellate; with subequal branches; thinner than stem. Leaf-sheaths glabrous on surface, or puberulous. Leaf-sheath oral hairs setose; 3–6 mm long. Leaf-sheath auricles erect; 0.4–0.8 mm long. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 1 mm long. Leaf-blade base with a brief petiole-like connection to sheath. Leaf-blades deciduous at the ligule; linear; 6–15 cm long; 2–11 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface glabrous; hairless except near base. Leaf-blade apex acuminate.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes.

Racemes 1; single; unilateral; 5–16 cm long; bearing 6–18 fertile spikelets on each. Spikelet packing distant.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets sessile.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 2–4 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets oblanceolate; laterally compressed; 16–25 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Rhachilla internodes elongated below proximal fertile floret.

GLUMES Glumes two, or several; 2–3 empty glumes; persistent; dissimilar; shorter than spikelet; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume subulate; 2.5–3 mm long. Upper glume ovate; 5–6 mm long; chartaceous; without keels. Upper glume apex acuminate; mucronate.

FLORETS Fertile lemma ovate; 8–10 mm long; coriaceous; without keel; 5–9 -veined. Lemma surface glabrous. Lemma apex acute; muticous. Palea 1 length of lemma. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

FLOWER Lodicules 3; membranous. Anthers 3; 5 mm long. Stigmas 2.

DISTRIBUTION North America: Mexico. South America: Mesoamericana.

NOTES Bambuseae. Fl Mesoamericana 2001.

ADDITIONAL CHARACTERS Branch complement 20–30.

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