Yushania maling

HABIT Perennial; culms solitary. Rhizomes short; pachymorph. Culms erect; 300–900 cm long; 20–30 mm diam.; woody. Culm-internodes terete; hollow; 30–40 cm long; antrorsely scabrous. Lateral branches dendroid. Branch complement several; in an irregular line; with subequal branches. Culm-sheaths 15–30 cm long; 3 times as long as wide; yellow; hispid; with yellow hairs; auriculate; setose on shoulders. Culm-sheath ligule 10 mm high. Culm-sheath blade linear; erect, or spreading; 6–7 cm long; acute. Leaf-sheaths striately veined; glabrous on surface. Leaf-sheath oral hairs setose; 3–5 mm long. Ligule an eciliate membrane; pubescent on abaxial surface; truncate. Leaf-blade base with a brief petiole-like connection to sheath. Leaf-blades deciduous at the ligule; linear, or lanceolate; 5–18 cm long; 8–20 mm wide; mid-green and glaucous; discolorous with last colour beneath. Leaf-blade venation with 6 secondary veins; with distinct cross veins. Leaf-blade surface glabrous. Leaf-blade margins scaberulous.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle; comprising 10–20 fertile spikelets.

Panicle open; 10 cm long. Primary panicle branches 10–20 cm long. Panicle axis glabrous. Panicle branches capillary; sinuous.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 7–9 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets linear; laterally compressed; 35 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Rhachilla internodes clavate; curved; 4–6 mm long; eventually visible between lemmas; pilose. Floret callus pubescent.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; similar; shorter than spikelet; similar to fertile lemma in texture. Lower glume ovate; 2–4 mm long; herbaceous; without keels; 0 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume surface scabrous. Lower glume apex setaceously attenuate. Upper glume ovate; 7–9 mm long; herbaceous; without keels; 5 -veined. Upper glume surface scabrous. Upper glume apex setaceously attenuate.

FLORETS Fertile lemma ovate; 10–12 mm long; herbaceous; without keel; 7–9 -veined. Lemma lateral veins with cross-veins. Lemma surface scabrous. Lemma apex setaceously attenuate. Palea 7–8 mm long; 5–9 -veined. Palea keels ciliolate. Palea apex dentate; 2 -fid. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

FLOWER Lodicules 3; 2–2.5 mm long; membranous; veined; ciliate. Anthers 3; 5–6 mm long; yellow. Stigmas 3. Ovary glabrous.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp.

DISTRIBUTION Asia-tropical: India.

NOTES Arundinarieae. Gamble 1995.

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