Yushania canoviridis

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Rhizomes short; pachymorph. Culms erect; 100 cm long; 3–6 mm diam.; woody; without nodal roots. Culm-internodes terete; hollow; distally mealy. Lateral branches dendroid; erect. Branch complement one, or two, or three. Culm-sheaths deciduous; hispid; with white hairs; hairy on margins; auriculate; ciliate on shoulders. Culm-sheath ligule 1 mm high. Culm-sheath blade lanceolate; deciduous. Leaves 1–4 per branch. Leaf-sheaths glabrous on surface; outer margin hairy. Leaf-sheath oral hairs ciliate. Leaf-sheath auricles erect. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 0.5 mm long. Leaf-blade base with a brief petiole-like connection to sheath. Leaf-blades lanceolate; 1–8 cm long; 2–10 mm wide. Leaf-blade venation with 8 secondary veins. Leaf-blade surface glabrous.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle; comprising 10–22 fertile spikelets.

Panicle open; ovate.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled. Pedicels 5–15 mm long.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 3–5 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets linear; laterally compressed; 7–12 mm long; 1–2 mm wide; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Rhachilla internodes 2.5–3 mm long.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; similar; shorter than spikelet; similar to fertile lemma in texture. Lower glume ovate; 3–4 mm long; chartaceous; without keels. Upper glume ovate; 3–4 mm long; chartaceous; without keels.

FLORETS Fertile lemma ovate; 5–6 mm long; chartaceous; without keel; 7 -veined. Lemma lateral veins with cross-veins. Lemma apex acute. Palea 4.5–6 mm long. Palea keels ciliolate; adorned above. Palea apex dentate; 2 -fid. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

FLOWER Lodicules 3; membranous; ciliate. Anthers 3. Stigmas 2. Ovary glabrous.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp.

DISTRIBUTION Asia-temperate: China.

NOTES Arundinarieae. Lin 1996.

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