Rhipidocladum maxonii

HABIT Perennial; culms solitary, or caespitose. Rhizomes short; pachymorph; scaly. Culms arching, or rambling; 1000–3000 cm long; 15–25 mm diam.; woody. Culm-internodes terete; hollow; 10–18 cm long; distally glabrous. Culm-nodes glabrous, or pubescent. Lateral branches dendroid. Branch complement many; flabellate. Leaf-sheaths outer margin hairy. Leaf-sheath oral hairs setose; 6–8 mm long. Ligule a ciliolate membrane; 0.1–0.2 mm long. Leaf-blade base with a brief petiole-like connection to sheath; petiole 0.1 cm long; petiole pubescent. Leaf-blades linear; 2–4 cm long; 2.5–4 mm wide; light green. Leaf-blade surface glabrous. Leaf-blade margins scabrous.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes.

Racemes 1; single; unilateral; 0.8–1 cm long; bearing few fertile spikelets. Rhachis flattened. Spikelet packing crowded; 2 -rowed.

Spikelets spreading; solitary. Fertile spikelets sessile.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 2–3 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets oblanceolate; laterally compressed; 8–10 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Rhachilla internodes elongated below basal sterile floret.

GLUMES Glumes several; 3 empty glumes; persistent; dissimilar; shorter than spikelet; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume ovate; 1.2–1.5 mm long; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume ovate; 3.5–4.2 mm long; chartaceous; without keels; 4–5 -veined. Upper glume apex acute.

FLORETS Fertile lemma ovate; 5–6.4 mm long; coriaceous; without keel; 7–9 -veined. Lemma apex acute. Palea keels ciliolate; adorned above. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

FLOWER Lodicules 3; membranous. Anthers 3; 4.2 mm long; yellow. Stigmas 2.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp.

DISTRIBUTION South America: Mesoamericana.

NOTES Bambuseae. Fl Costa Rica 1995.

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