Aulonemia ximenae

HABIT Perennial. Rhizomes short; pachymorph. Culms scandent; 200–500 cm long; 3–6(–10) mm diam.; woody. Culm-internodes terete; with small lumen; 10–26 cm long; distally hispid (above). Culm-nodes without obvious supra-nodal ridge. Lateral branches dendroid; intravaginal. Bud complement 1. Culm-sheaths tardily deciduous; 10–18 cm long; 4–8 times as long as wide; glabrous, or hispid; hairy on margins; setose on shoulders; shoulders with 7–15 mm long hairs. Culm-sheath blade lanceolate; constricted at base; deciduous; reflexed; 3–10 cm long; 8–25 mm wide. Leaf-sheaths striately veined; glabrous on surface, or pubescent; outer margin hairy. Leaf-sheath oral hairs setose; curly; 7–15 mm long. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 0.5 mm long. Collar with external ligule. Leaf-blade base with a brief petiole-like connection to sheath; petiole 0.2–0.5 cm long; petiole pubescent. Leaf-blades reflexed; lanceolate; 8–17 cm long; 10–28 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface glabrous, or puberulous; hairy abaxially. Leaf-blade margins scabrous.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle. Peduncle 3–7 cm long.

Panicle open; loose; 15–20 cm long; 4–10 cm wide. Panicle branches capillary; smooth, or scaberulous.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising (4–)5(–9) fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets linear, or oblong; laterally compressed; 13–36 mm long; 3–5.5 mm wide; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; shorter than spikelet; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume lanceolate; 4–5.5 mm long; membranous; without keels; 1–3(–5) -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent, or distinct. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume lanceolate; 6–8.5 mm long; membranous; without keels; 3–5(–7) -veined. Upper glume apex acute.

FLORETS Basal sterile florets barren; without significant palea. Lemma of lower sterile floret similar to fertile lemma. Fertile lemma lanceolate; 8–12.5 mm long; chartaceous; without keel; 7–11 -veined. Lemma apex acute; muticous, or awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn 1.5–3(–5) mm long overall. Palea 1 length of lemma; 2-keeled. Palea keels winged (above); narrowly winged; scabrous. Palea surface scaberulous. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

FLOWER Lodicules 3; obovate; 1–1.4 mm long; veined; ciliate. Anthers 3; 3–4 mm long; purple. Stigmas 2.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp.

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

NOTES Bambuseae. Clarke et al 2008.

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