Bambusa mohanramii

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Rhizomes short; pachymorph. Culms erect; 1000–1500 cm long; 50–60 mm diam.; woody; with aerial roots from the nodes. Culm-internodes terete; with small lumen; 30–40 cm long; grey. Lateral branches dendroid. Bud complement 1. Branch complement three. Culm-sheaths deciduous; 19–23 cm long; 0.9 times as long as wide; coriaceous; yellow, or brown; glabrous; convex at apex; auriculate; ciliate on shoulders. Culm-sheath ligule 8–10 mm high; dentate. Culm-sheath blade triangular; as wide as sheath at base; erect; with ciliate margins. Leaves cauline; 8–10 per branch. Leaf-sheaths keeled; striately veined; glabrous on surface; outer margin hairy. Leaf-sheath oral hairs ciliate; 2 mm long. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 1 mm long. Collar with external ligule. Leaf-blade base with a brief petiole-like connection to sheath; petiole glabrous. Leaf-blades lanceolate; 15–37 cm long; 20–30 mm wide. Leaf-blade midrib conspicuous. Leaf-blade venation with 14–18 secondary veins. Leaf-blade surface puberulous; hairy abaxially. Leaf-blade margins scabrous. Leaf-blade apex acuminate.

INFLORESCENCE Synflorescence bractiferous; clustered at the nodes; in untidy tufts; dense; with glumaceous subtending bracts; with axillary buds at base of spikelet; prophyllate below lateral spikelets; leafless between clusters.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 7–8 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets lanceolate; laterally compressed; 20–25 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Rhachilla internodes definite.

GLUMES Glumes several; 2–4 empty glumes; persistent; similar; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume ovate; 4–8 mm long; coriaceous; without keels. Lower glume margins ciliolate. Lower glume apex mucronate.

FLORETS Fertile lemma ovate; 12–13 mm long; without keel. Lemma lateral veins with cross-veins (obscure). Lemma margins ciliolate; hairy above. Lemma apex acuminate. Palea oblong; 10 mm long; 9–11(–13) -veined; 2-keeled. Palea keels ciliate. Palea surface pilose; hairy on margins. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

FLOWER Lodicules 3; lanceolate; 6 mm long; membranous; veined; ciliate. Anthers 6; 6 mm long; anther tip penicillate. Stigmas 3; plumose. Styles 2–3 mm long. Ovary umbonate; pubescent on apex.

DISTRIBUTION Asia-tropical: India.

NOTES Bambuseae. Kumari & Singh 2011.

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