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 perrieri

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Rhizomes short; pachymorph. Culms erect; 200–800 cm long; woody. Culm-internodes terete; hollow. Lateral branches dendroid. Leaf-sheaths striately veined and reticulately veined; glabrous on surface; outer margin hairy. Leaf-sheath oral hairs ciliate. Leaf-sheath auricles falcate. Ligule an eciliate membrane; truncate. Collar with external ligule. Leaf-blade base with a brief petiole-like connection to sheath; petiole 0.2–0.3 cm long. Leaf-blades linear, or lanceolate; 7–10 cm long; 4–5 mm wide. Leaf-blade venation with distinct cross veins. Leaf-blade surface glabrous. Leaf-blade margins scaberulous. Leaf-blade apex attenuate.

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; 6–8 cm long overall.

Fertile spikelets pedicelled. Pedicels 2–5 mm long.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets lanceolate; subterete; 16–18 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret.

GLUMES Glumes several; 4 empty glumes; persistent; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume lanceolate; 4 mm long; 5–7 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins with cross-veins. Lower glume surface glabrous. Lower glume margins ciliolate. Lower glume apex acuminate. Upper glume lanceolate; 10–11 mm long; 9 -veined. Upper glume lateral veins with cross-veins. Upper glume surface glabrous. Upper glume margins ciliolate. Upper glume apex emarginate, or acuminate.

FLORETS Fertile lemma lanceolate; 7–9 mm long; chartaceous; without keel; 7 -veined. Lemma surface pilose; hairy above. Lemma margins convolute; covering most of palea. Lemma apex acute. Palea tightly convolute around flower; chartaceous; without keels. Apical sterile florets 1 in number; barren; rudimentary.

FLOWER Anthers 6. Stigmas 3. Ovary with a steeple-like appendage.

FRUIT Caryopsis with free brittle pericarp.

DISTRIBUTION Africa: western Indian ocean.

NOTES Bambuseae. Camus 2002.

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