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GrassBase - The Online World Grass Flora
Descriptions
W.D. Clayton, M. Vorontsova, K.T. Harman & H. Williamson
© Copyright The Board of Trustees, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
Rhipidocladum pittieri
HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Rhizomes short; pachymorph. Culms geniculately ascending; 500–1000 cm long; 5–10 mm diam.; woody. Culm-internodes terete; hollow. Lateral branches dendroid. Branch complement many; flabellate; with subequal branches; thinner than stem. Culm-sheaths purple; hairy on margins. Culm-sheath ligule 0.5 mm high. Culm-sheath blade triangular; as wide as sheath at base; erect; hispid. Leaf-sheath oral hairs lacking. Leaf-sheath auricles erect. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 1.5–2.5 mm long. Leaf-blade base with a brief petiole-like connection to sheath. Leaf-blades deciduous at the ligule; lanceolate; 7–12 cm long; 6–16 mm wide. Leaf-blade midrib indistinct. Leaf-blade margins scabrous. Leaf-blade apex acuminate.
INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes.
Racemes 1; single; unilateral; 3–10 cm long. Spikelet packing regular; 2 -rowed.
Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets sessile.
FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1–3 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets oblanceolate; laterally compressed; 18–22 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Rhachilla internodes elongated below proximal fertile floret (lowest).
GLUMES Glumes several; 3 empty glumes; persistent; dissimilar; shorter than spikelet; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume subulate; 2.5–4.5 mm long; 0.5–0.7 length of upper glume. Upper glume ovate; 6.5–7.9 mm long; chartaceous; without keels; 7–9 -veined. Upper glume apex acuminate; muticous, or mucronate, or awned; 1 -awned. Upper glume awn 0–2 mm long.
FLORETS Fertile lemma ovate; 10–11 mm long; coriaceous; without keel; 7 -veined. Lemma margins ciliolate; hairy above. Lemma apex acuminate; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn 1–2 mm long overall; limb scaberulous. Palea 1 length of lemma; 4–6 -veined. Palea keels ciliolate; adorned above. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.
FLOWER Lodicules 3; membranous. Anthers 3. Stigmas 2. Ovary umbonate.
FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp.
DISTRIBUTION North America: Mexico. South America: Mesoamericana.
NOTES Bambuseae. Pohl.
Please cite this publication as detailed in How to Cite Version: 3rd February 2016.
