Rhipidocladum panamense

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Rhizomes short; pachymorph. Culms arching; 500 cm long; 6–8 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 lacking, or setose; 3–5.5 mm long. Leaf-sheath auricles erect; 0.2 mm long. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 0.1 mm long. Leaf-blade base with a brief petiole-like connection to sheath. Leaf-blades deciduous at the ligule; linear; 3–6 cm long; 2–3 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface glabrous, or puberulous. Leaf-blade apex acuminate.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes.

Racemes 1; single; unilateral; 4–12 cm long; bearing 5–7 fertile spikelets on each. Spikelet packing lax.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets sessile.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 2 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets oblanceolate; laterally compressed; 12–16 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Rhachilla internodes elongated below proximal fertile floret.

GLUMES Glumes several; 3 empty glumes; persistent; dissimilar; shorter than spikelet; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume subulate; 2.5–3.5 mm long. Upper glume ovate; 5.5 mm long; chartaceous; without keels. Upper glume apex acuminate; awned; 1 -awned. Upper glume awn 3–4.5 mm long.

FLORETS Fertile lemma ovate; 5.5–6 mm long; coriaceous; without keel; 5–9 -veined. Lemma surface hispidulous; hairy above. Lemma margins ciliolate. Lemma apex acute; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn 3–6 mm long overall. Palea 1 length of lemma. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

FLOWER Lodicules 3; membranous. Anthers 3. Stigmas 2.

DISTRIBUTION South America: Mesoamericana.

NOTES Bambuseae. Fl Mesoamericana 2001.

ADDITIONAL CHARACTERS Branch complement 200–230.

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