Arundinaria appalachiana

HABIT Perennial. Rhizomes elongated; leptomorph; with peripheral air canals. Culms erect; 50–100 cm long; 2–6 mm diam.; woody. Culm-internodes similar in length; terete; hollow. Lateral branches dendroid. Branch complement three; with subequal branches; thinner than stem. Culm-sheaths persistent, or tardily deciduous; 5.5–11 cm long; without auricles; setose on shoulders; shoulders with 1–4.6 mm long hairs. Culm-sheath blade lanceolate; 0.8–1.8 cm long. Leaves 6–12 per branch. Leaf-sheath oral hairs setose. Leaf-sheath auricles falcate. Ligule an eciliate membrane; lacerate. Leaf-blade base with a brief petiole-like connection to sheath. Leaf-blades deciduous at the ligule; lanceolate; 9–22.5 cm long; 14–28 mm wide; chartaceous. Leaf-blade venation with obscure cross veins. Leaf-blade surface pilose; hairy adaxially, or on both sides.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence comprising only a few spikelets; comprising 1–3 fertile spikelets.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 5–8 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets oblong; laterally compressed; 30–55 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret.

GLUMES Glumes one the lower absent or obscure, or two; persistent; similar; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume lanceolate; chartaceous; without keels. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume elliptic; chartaceous; without keels. Upper glume apex acute.

FLORETS Fertile lemma ovate; 12–20 mm long; chartaceous; without keel. Lemma apex attenuate. Palea 1 length of lemma. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

FLOWER Lodicules 3. Anthers 3. Stigmas 3.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; apex rostrate.

DISTRIBUTION North America: southeast USA.

NOTES Arundinarieae. Fl N Amer 2007.

ADDITIONAL CHARACTERS Branches with 2–5 compressed basal internodes; primary branches less than 35cm.

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