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.

Schizostachyum flexuosum

HABIT Perennial; caespitose; clumped loosely. Rhizomes short; pachymorph. Culms leaning; pendulous at the tip; 1500 cm long; 20–40 mm diam.; woody. Culm-internodes terete; hollow; 60–80 cm long; smooth; distally glabrous. Lateral branches dendroid; arising from mid culm. Branch complement several; in a clump; with subequal branches. Culm-sheaths deciduous; 15 cm long; pilose; with appressed hairs; with white hairs, or tawny hairs; auriculate; with obtuse auricles; with 5 mm high auricles; ciliate on shoulders; shoulders with 3 mm long hairs. Culm-sheath ligule 3 mm high; ciliate. Culm-sheath blade linear, or lanceolate; narrower than sheath; spreading; 13.4 cm long; 20 mm wide; pubescent. Leaf-sheath oral hairs ciliate; 5 mm long. Leaf-sheath auricles erect; 1 mm long. Ligule a ciliate membrane. Leaf-blade base with a brief petiole-like connection to sheath. Leaf-blades lanceolate; 14–36 cm long; 22–47 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface glabrous. Leaf-blade apex acuminate.

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

Fertile spikelets sessile.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets lanceolate; laterally compressed; 30 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret.

GLUMES Glumes two; persistent; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume ovate; 13 mm long. Lower glume apex attenuate. Upper glume ovate; 13 mm long; chartaceous. Upper glume apex attenuate.

FLORETS Fertile lemma ovate; 20 mm long; chartaceous; without keel. Lemma surface glabrous. Lemma apex attenuate. Palea 19 mm long; chartaceous. Palea apex dentate; 2 -fid. Apical sterile florets 1 in number; rudimentary.

FLOWER Lodicules 3; 4 mm long; glabrous. Anthers 6; 6 mm long; yellow; anther tip apiculate. Stigmas 3. Ovary with a steeple-like appendage; glabrous.

FRUIT Caryopsis with free brittle pericarp.

DISTRIBUTION Asia-tropical: Malesia.

NOTES Bambuseae. Widjaja 2002.

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