Gigantochloa baliana

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Rhizomes short; pachymorph. Culms erect; 1000 cm long; 18–26 mm diam.; woody. Culm-internodes terete; 27.5–40 cm long; glaucous; distally hispid. Lateral branches dendroid. Culm-sheaths glabrous; auriculate; with 2 mm high auricles. Culm-sheath ligule 2 mm high. Culm-sheath blade lanceolate; erect. Leaf-sheaths pubescent; hairs dark brown. Leaf-sheath oral hairs lacking. Leaf-sheath auricles erect; 2 mm long. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 2 mm long. Collar with external ligule. Leaf-blade base with a brief petiole-like connection to sheath. Leaf-blades oblong; 21–40 cm long; 25–75 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface pilose; sparsely hairy; hairy abaxially.

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; leafless between clusters.

Fertile spikelets sessile.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 4 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets lanceolate; laterally compressed; 16–18 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating above glumes but not between florets. Rhachilla internodes suppressed between florets.

GLUMES Glumes several; 3 empty glumes; persistent; similar; shorter than spikelet. Upper glume ovate; 5–10 mm long. Upper glume margins ciliolate. Upper glume apex acute.

FLORETS Fertile florets increasing in size upwards. Fertile lemma ovate; 12–15 mm long; chartaceous; without keel. Lemma apex acute. Palea 11–14 mm long; 2-keeled. Palea keels ciliolate.

FLOWER Lodicules absent. Anthers 6; 6 mm long; brown, or red; anther tip apiculate. Filaments united in a tube. Ovary pubescent on apex.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; oblong; 14 mm long.

DISTRIBUTION Asia-tropical: Malesia.

NOTES Bambuseae. Widjaja 2006.

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