Schizostachyum diaoluoshanense

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Rhizomes short; pachymorph. Culms erect; pendulous at the tip; 800 cm long; 25 mm diam.; woody. Culm-internodes terete; hollow; 20–35 cm long; distally mealy. Lateral branches dendroid. Branch complement many. Culm-sheaths tardily deciduous; coriaceous; yellow; hispid; with appressed hairs; with white hairs; hairy on margins; truncate at apex; without auricles; setose on shoulders; shoulders with 4–10 mm long hairs. Culm-sheath ligule 2–3 mm high; fimbriate. Culm-sheath blade linear, or lanceolate; reflexed; 9 cm long; hispid (beneath); acuminate. Leaves 6–12 per branch. Leaf-sheath oral hairs setose; 3–5 mm long. Leaf-sheath auricles absent. Ligule a ciliolate membrane. Leaf-blade base broadly rounded; with a brief petiole-like connection to sheath. Leaf-blades lanceolate; 12–30 cm long; 12–48 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface hispid; hairy adaxially. Leaf-blade margins serrulate. Leaf-blade apex attenuate.

INFLORESCENCE Synflorescence bractiferous; clustered at the nodes; in untidy tufts (of 1–4 spikelets, only the terminal fertile); open; with glumaceous subtending bracts; with axillary buds at base of spikelet; prophyllate below lateral spikelets; with 2-keeled prophylls; leafy between clusters, or leafless between clusters.

Fertile spikelets sessile.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate; subterete; 25–30 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret.

GLUMES Glumes several; comprising 3–4 gemmiferous bracts; 0 empty glumes.

FLORETS Fertile lemma lanceolate to oblong; 12–15 mm long; chartaceous; without keel. Lemma surface pubescent. Lemma margins convolute; covering most of palea. Lemma hairs white. Lemma apex acute; mucronate, or awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn 2 mm long overall. Palea lanceolate, or oblong; tightly convolute around flower; 15–20 mm long; chartaceous; 2-keeled. Palea apex dentate; 2 -fid.

FLOWER Anthers 6; 6 mm long; yellow. Filaments united in groups (in pairs); 20–25 mm long. Stigmas 3; plumose. Ovary with a steeple-like appendage; glabrous.

FRUIT Caryopsis with free brittle pericarp; fusiform; 10–12 mm long; dark brown.

DISTRIBUTION Asia-temperate: China.

NOTES Bambuseae. Xia, Zhang & Lin 2009.

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