Schizostachyum aciculare

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Rhizomes short; pachymorph. Culms woody. Culm-internodes terete; hollow; distally pubescent. Lateral branches dendroid. Branch complement many. Culm-sheaths 12 cm long; pubescent; with appressed hairs; with white hairs; truncate at apex; auriculate; with 4–5 mm high auricles; setose on shoulders; shoulders with curved hairs; shoulders with 3 mm long hairs. Culm-sheath ligule 1.5 mm high; ciliate. Culm-sheath blade lanceolate; reflexed; 8 cm long; 7 mm wide. Leaf-sheath oral hairs ciliate. Leaf-sheath auricles falcate. Ligule a ciliolate membrane. Leaf-blade base with a brief petiole-like connection to sheath; petiole 0.5–0.8 cm long. Leaf-blades lanceolate, or elliptic; 22 cm long; 50 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface glabrous, or puberulous; hairy abaxially (at base).

INFLORESCENCE Synflorescence bractiferous; clustered at the nodes; in untidy tufts; 30 cm long; with glumaceous subtending bracts; with axillary buds at base of spikelet; prophyllate below lateral spikelets; leafy between clusters.

Fertile spikelets sessile.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 fertile florets; with a barren rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate; laterally compressed; 50 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret.

GLUMES Glumes several.

FLORETS Fertile lemma ovate; 27 mm long; chartaceous; without keel. Lemma surface pubescent. Lemma margins convolute; covering most of palea. Lemma apex acute. Palea tightly convolute around flower; 30 mm long; chartaceous. Palea keels contiguous above a sulcus. Palea apex dentate; 2 -fid.

FLOWER Lodicules absent, or 1. Anthers 6; 14 mm long; anther tip penicillate. Stigmas 3. Ovary with a steeple-like appendage.

FRUIT Caryopsis with free brittle pericarp.

DISTRIBUTION Asia-tropical: Indo-China and Malesia.

NOTES Bambuseae. Holttum 1995.

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