Sasa tsuboiana

HABIT Perennial. Rhizomes elongated; leptomorph. Culms erect; 200 cm long; 5–7 mm diam.; woody. Culm-internodes terete; hollow; 5–10 cm long. Culm-nodes glabrous. Lateral branches suffrutescent. Bud complement 1. Branch complement one; solitary; as thick as stem. Culm-sheaths 4–15 cm long; setose on shoulders. Leaves 5 per branch. Leaf-sheaths glabrous on surface. Ligule an eciliate membrane. Leaf-blade base with a brief petiole-like connection to sheath. Leaf-blades oblong, or ovate; 9–20 cm long; 20–45 mm wide; mid-green and glaucous; discolorous with last colour beneath and variegated (white margins). Leaf-blade venation with 10–18 secondary veins. Leaf-blade apex acuminate.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.

Panicle open; ovate; 7–8 cm long; 4–5 cm wide.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 4–7 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets linear, or oblong; laterally compressed; 12–20 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; shorter than spikelet; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume linear; 1–1.5 mm long; scarious; without keels. Lower glume surface pubescent. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume linear; 1–1.5 mm long; scarious; without keels. Upper glume surface pubescent. Upper glume apex acute.

FLORETS Fertile lemma ovate; 7–8 mm long; chartaceous; dark green; without keel. Lemma apex acute. Palea 6–7 mm long. Palea keels ciliolate. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

FLOWER Lodicules 3. Anthers 6; yellow. Stigmas 2.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; apex unappendaged.

DISTRIBUTION Asia-temperate: eastern Asia.

NOTES Arundinarieae. Nakai 1996.

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