Schizostachyum lima

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Rhizomes short; pachymorph. Culms erect; pendulous at the tip; 800–1000 cm long; 30–40 mm diam.; woody. Culm-internodes terete; hollow; antrorsely scabrous; distally hispid. Lateral branches dendroid. Buds or branches absent from lower quarter of culm. Branch complement many; with subequal branches. Culm-sheaths deciduous; yellow, or green; antrorsely scabrous; hispid; with appressed hairs; with white hairs; truncate at apex; without auricles; setose on shoulders; shoulders with 9–12 mm long hairs. Culm-sheath ligule ciliate. Culm-sheath blade linear, or lanceolate; reflexed; hispid. Leaf-sheaths glabrous on surface, or hispid. Leaf-sheath oral hairs lacking, or ciliate; deciduous; pale. Leaf-sheath auricles absent. Ligule an eciliate membrane, or a ciliolate membrane. Leaf-blade base with a brief petiole-like connection to sheath. Leaf-blades lanceolate, or oblong; 9–33 cm long; 15–48 mm wide. Leaf-blade venation indistinct; without cross veins. Leaf-blade surface smooth, or scaberulous; rough abaxially; pilose; sparsely hairy; hairy adaxially. Leaf-blade margins scaberulous. Leaf-blade apex acuminate.

INFLORESCENCE Synflorescence bractiferous; linear; 10–15 cm long; 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 a barren rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate; laterally compressed; 22 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret.

GLUMES Glumes several; 1–5 empty glumes; persistent; shorter than spikelet. Upper glume oblong; 6–12 mm long; chartaceous; 1-keeled. Upper glume apex obtuse, or acute; mucronate.

FLORETS Fertile lemma ovate; 18–20 mm long; chartaceous; without keel; 11 -veined. Lemma margins convolute; covering most of palea. Lemma apex acute; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn 15 mm long overall. Palea tightly convolute around flower; 20–22 mm long; chartaceous. Palea apex dentate; 2 -fid; awned; awns 5–7 mm long.

FLOWER Lodicules absent. Anthers 6; 6–8 mm long. Stigmas 3. Ovary with a steeple-like appendage; glabrous.

FRUIT Caryopsis with free brittle pericarp.

DISTRIBUTION Asia-tropical: Malesia and Papuasia. Pacific: northwestern.

NOTES Bambuseae. McClure 1996.

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