Arthrostylidium berryi

HABIT Perennial; caespitose; clumped moderately, or densely. Rhizomes short; pachymorph. Culms erect; 200–300 cm long; 30–50 mm diam.; woody. Culm-internodes terete; with small lumen; smooth, or scaberulous; distally glabrous, or pubescent. Lateral branches dendroid. Bud complement 1. Branch complement one to two; subtended by a bare patch above the node; thinner than stem. Culm-sheaths 3–5 cm long. Culm-sheath blade lanceolate; deciduous; reflexed; 3–4 cm long; 10–13 mm wide. Leaves 11–17 per branch. Leaf-sheaths glabrous on surface, or puberulous. Leaf-sheath oral hairs setose; spreading; 4–9 mm long; dark. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 0.5–1 mm long; brown. Collar with external ligule. Leaf-blade base truncate, or broadly rounded; symmetrical, or asymmetrical; with a brief petiole-like connection to sheath; petiole 0.15–0.5 cm long. Leaf-blades reflexed; lanceolate; 11–16 cm long; 10–16 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface scaberulous; rough adaxially; puberulous; hairy abaxially. Leaf-blade apex acuminate.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes. Peduncle 4–10 cm long.

Racemes 1; single; bilateral; 15–30 cm long; bearing 12–20 fertile spikelets on each. Rhachis puberulous on surface; scabrous on margins. Spikelet packing broadside to rhachis; distant.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets sessile, or sessile and pedicelled. Pedicels 1–2 mm long.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 9–15 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets linear; laterally compressed; 40–80(–100) mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Rhachilla internodes 2–3 mm long.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; similar; shorter than spikelet; thinner than fertile lemma, or similar to fertile lemma in texture. Lower glume lanceolate; 4–6 mm long; 0.66–0.75 length of upper glume; membranous; 1-keeled; keeled above; 3–5 -veined. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume lanceolate; 6–8 mm long; 0.66 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; 1-keeled; keeled above; 7–9 -veined. Upper glume apex acute.

FLORETS Fertile lemma lanceolate; 9–11.5 mm long; 1.3–2 mm wide; membranous, or coriaceous; keeled; (9–)11–13(–15) -veined. Lemma apex acute. Palea 8–11 mm long; 1–1.1 length of lemma; 4 -veined. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

FLOWER Lodicules 3. Anthers 3. Stigmas 2.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp.

DISTRIBUTION South America: northern South America and western South America.

NOTES Bambuseae. Judz. & Davidse 2009.

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