Rhipidocladum neumannii

HABIT Perennial. Rhizomes short; pachymorph. Culms scandent; pendulous at the tip; 400–1200 cm long; 10–28 mm diam.; woody. Culm-internodes terete; hollow. Lateral branches dendroid. Bud complement 1. Branch complement many; flabellate. Culm-sheaths deciduous; 8–13 cm long; 2 times as long as wide; chartaceous; glabrous. Culm-sheath ligule 1 mm high; ciliolate. Culm-sheath blade triangular; erect; 4–12 cm long; 25–50 mm wide; acuminate. Leaf-sheaths glabrous on surface. Leaf-sheath oral hairs scanty. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 0.5–0.7 mm long; truncate. Collar with external ligule. Leaf-blade base with a brief petiole-like connection to sheath; petiole 0.2–0.3 cm long; petiole glabrous. Leaf-blades lanceolate; 2.5–9.5 cm long; 6–11 mm wide. Leaf-blade venation without cross veins. Leaf-blade surface pubescent; hairy abaxially.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes; terminal and axillary.

Racemes 1; single; unilateral; 2.5–6 cm long; 5–10 mm wide; bearing 3–10 fertile spikelets on each.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets sessile.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 2 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets lanceolate; laterally compressed; 15–20 mm long; 2.5–4 mm wide; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Rhachilla internodes glabrous. Floret callus glabrous.

GLUMES Glumes several; 3 empty glumes; persistent; dissimilar; shorter than spikelet; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume lanceolate; 2.5–7.5 mm long; chartaceous; 3–5 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins prominent. Lower glume surface scabrous; rough on veins. Lower glume margins ciliolate. Lower glume apex acute; mucronate. Upper glume lanceolate; 8–12 mm long; chartaceous; without keels; 9–11 -veined. Upper glume lateral veins prominent. Upper glume surface scabrous; rough on veins. Upper glume margins ciliolate. Upper glume apex acute; awned; 1 -awned. Upper glume awn 1.2–3 mm long.

FLORETS Fertile lemma ovate; 9–12 mm long; coriaceous; without keel; 5–7 -veined. Lemma apex acuminate. Palea 8.5–9.8 mm long; 6–8 -veined. Palea keels winged; narrowly winged; ciliolate. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

FLOWER Lodicules 3; 2–2.4 mm long; membranous; veinless. Anthers 3; 5.5–6 mm long; pallid. Stigmas 2.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp.

DISTRIBUTION South America: southern South America.

NOTES Bambuseae. Suleki et al 2002.

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