New! - Search other data sources for Saccharum arundinaceum

Help - Wrong Description?

Kew Data Sources

Kew's Herbarium Catalogue
ePIC - Electronic Plant Information Centre

External Data Sources

Note - this takes you off of our website
Use your browser's back button to return to this page

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.

Saccharum arundinaceum

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Culms erect; robust; 200–400 cm long; 20 mm diam. Culm-internodes solid. Ligule an eciliate membrane. Leaf-blades 50–100 cm long; 25–50 mm wide. Leaf-blade midrib conspicuous. Leaf-blade apex acuminate.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle with branches tipped by a raceme. Peduncle glabrous.

Panicle open; ovate; 30–80 cm long; 15 cm wide. Primary panicle branches whorled at most nodes. Panicle branches glabrous.

Rhachis fragile at the nodes; subterete; villous on surface. Rhachis internodes filiform; 3.5–4 mm long.

Spikelets in pairs. Fertile spikelets sessile and pedicelled; 2 in the cluster; subequal. Pedicels filiform; 2–2.5 mm long; villous.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate; dorsally compressed; 2.5–2.7 mm long; falling entire; deciduous from the base, or with accessory branch structures. Spikelet callus bearded; base truncate. Spikelet callus hairs white; 1.5 length of spikelet.

GLUMES Glumes similar; firmer than fertile lemma. Lower glume lanceolate; 1 length of spikelet; membranous; much thinner above; 2-keeled. Lower glume primary vein scabrous. Lower glume surface flat; villous. Lower glume margins ciliate. Lower glume hairs 5.4 mm long. Lower glume apex acuminate. Upper glume lanceolate; 1 length of spikelet; membranous; much thinner above; without keels; 3 -veined. Upper glume margins ciliate. Upper glume apex acute.

FLORETS Basal sterile florets barren; without significant palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret linear; 2.4–2.6 mm long; hyaline; 1 -veined; without lateral veins; ciliolate on margins; acute. Fertile lemma linear; 2.4–2.5 mm long; hyaline; 1 -veined. Palea absent or minute.

FLOWER Lodicules 2; cuneate; ciliate. Anthers 3.

DISTRIBUTION Asia-temperate: China and eastern Asia. Asia-tropical: India, Indo-China, Malesia, and Papuasia.

NOTES Andropogoneae. Gilliland 1993.

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