Sasa nipponica

HABIT Perennial. Rhizomes elongated; leptomorph. Culms erect; 50–80 cm long; woody. Culm-internodes terete; hollow; distally glabrous. Culm-nodes swollen; glabrous. Lateral branches dendroid. Bud complement 1. Branch complement one; solitary; as thick as stem. Culm-sheaths persistent; glabrous; without auricles. Leaf-sheaths glabrous on surface. Leaf-sheath oral hairs lacking, or setose. Ligule an eciliate membrane. Leaf-blade base with a brief petiole-like connection to sheath. Leaf-blades oblong; 9–18 cm long; 25–45 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface pubescent; hairy abaxially. Leaf-blade apex acuminate.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.

Panicle open; ovate; 10 cm long.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 5–8 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets linear; laterally compressed; 20–30 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Rhachilla internodes 4–5 mm long; pubescent.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; similar; shorter than spikelet; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume lanceolate; 1 mm long; scarious; without keels; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex acuminate. Upper glume lanceolate; 2–3 mm long; scarious; without keels; 3 -veined. Upper glume apex acuminate.

FLORETS Fertile lemma ovate; 9 mm long; chartaceous; without keel; 11 -veined. Lemma lateral veins with cross-veins. Lemma surface smooth. Lemma margins eciliate, or ciliolate; hairy above. Lemma apex acuminate. Palea 1 length of lemma; 8 -veined. Palea keels eciliate. Palea surface pilose; hairy on margins; hairy above. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

FLOWER Lodicules 3; ovate; 2 mm long; veined; ciliate. Anthers 6; 5 mm long. Stigmas 3.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; apex unappendaged.

DISTRIBUTION Asia-temperate: eastern Asia.

NOTES Arundinarieae. Ind. Jap. Bam. 2001.

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