Himalayacalamus planatus

HABIT Perennial; caespitose; clumped densely. Rhizomes short; pachymorph. Culms drooping at the tip, or pendulous at the tip; 200–500 cm long; 5–15 mm diam.; woody; without nodal roots. Culm-internodes terete; with small lumen; 15–20 cm long; smooth. Culm-nodes flush with internodes; without obvious supra-nodal ridge. Lateral branches dendroid. Branch complement several. Culm-sheaths deciduous; 18 cm long; 1 length of internode; smooth; hairy on margins; convex at apex; without auricles; glabrous on shoulders. Culm-sheath ligule 5 mm high; lacerate. Culm-sheath blade lanceolate; demarcated but persistent, or deciduous; reflexed; 2–4 cm long; 1–2 mm wide. Leaf-sheaths glabrous on surface; outer margin glabrous, or hairy. Leaf-sheath oral hairs scanty. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 1 mm long; pubescent on abaxial surface; obtuse. Collar without external ligule. Leaf-blade base with a brief petiole-like connection to sheath; petiole glabrous. Leaf-blades lanceolate; 7–13 cm long; 5–10 mm wide. Leaf-blade venation with 4–6 secondary veins; without cross veins. Leaf-blade surface glabrous. Leaf-blade apex acuminate.

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.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1(–2) fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets lanceolate; laterally compressed; 7–9 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Floret callus woolly.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; similar; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume lanceolate; 3.5–4.5 mm long; 1 length of upper glume; membranous. Lower glume margins ciliolate. Upper glume lanceolate; 3.5–4.5 mm long; 0.5 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous. Upper glume margins ciliolate.

FLORETS Fertile lemma lanceolate; 7–9 mm long. Lemma surface smooth; woolly; hairy at base. Lemma margins ciliolate; hairy above. Palea keels smooth. Rhachilla extension 4 mm long. Apical sterile florets 1 in number; rudimentary.

DISTRIBUTION Asia-tropical: India.

NOTES Arundinarieae. Stapleton 2009.

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