Bambusa nairiana

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Rhizomes short; pachymorph. Culms erect; 1000 cm long; 60–80 mm diam.; woody; with aerial roots from the nodes. Culm-internodes terete; with small lumen. Lateral branches dendroid. Branch complement three. Culm-sheaths deciduous; 18–20 cm long; 0.9 times as long as wide; coriaceous; hispid; with appressed hairs; with dark brown hairs, or black hairs; convex at apex; auriculate; with 1 mm high auricles; with 4–5 mm wide auricles; ciliate on shoulders. Culm-sheath ligule 4–5 mm high; dentate. Culm-sheath blade triangular; erect; glabrous on surface; acuminate. Leaves cauline; 9–10 per branch. Leaf-sheath oral hairs ciliate. Leaf-sheath auricles absent. Ligule an eciliate membrane. Collar with external ligule. Leaf-blade base with a brief petiole-like connection to sheath. Leaf-blades lanceolate; 17–27 cm long; 24–30 mm wide. Leaf-blade midrib conspicuous. Leaf-blade venation with 20–22 secondary veins. Leaf-blade surface pilose; sparsely hairy; hairy abaxially. Leaf-blade margins scabrous.

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.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 5–8 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; 3 mm long; glabrous.

GLUMES Glumes several; 1–2 empty glumes; persistent; similar; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume ovate; 6–8 mm long; coriaceous; without keels. Lower glume margins ciliate.

FLORETS Fertile lemma ovate; 11–12 mm long; without keel. Lemma lateral veins with cross-veins (obscure). Lemma margins ciliolate. Lemma apex acute; pubescent (inside). Palea oblong; 8–9 mm long; 11 -veined; 2-keeled. Palea keels wingless; ciliate. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

FLOWER Lodicules 3; 3–4 mm long; membranous; veined; ciliate. Anthers 6; 5–6 mm long. Stigmas 3; plumose. Styles 3–5 mm long. Ovary umbonate.

DISTRIBUTION Asia-tropical: India.

NOTES Bambuseae. Kumari & Singh 2011.

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