GrassBase - The Online World Grass Flora

Descriptions

W.D. Clayton, M. Vorontsova, K.T. Harman & H. Williamson

© Copyright The Board of Trustees, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

Melocalamus cucphuongensis

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Rhizomes short; pachymorph. Culms scandent; zigzag; 1500–2000 cm long; 35–40 mm diam.; woody. Culm-internodes terete; solid; 20–55 cm long; distally pubescent. Lateral branches dendroid. Branch complement several; with 1 branch dominant. Culm-sheaths 17–18 cm long; 2 times as long as wide. Culm-sheath ligule 2 mm high. Culm-sheath blade ovate; narrower than sheath; reflexed; acute. Leaves 3 per branch. Leaf-sheaths striately veined. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 1.5 mm long. Leaf-blade base with a brief petiole-like connection to sheath; petiole 0.3 cm long. Leaf-blades lanceolate, or ovate; 17–20 cm long; 32–34 mm wide. Leaf-blade apex filiform.

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

Fertile spikelets sessile.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 2 fertile florets; with a barren rhachilla extension. Spikelets obovate; laterally compressed; obtuse; 3 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating above glumes but not between florets. Rhachilla internodes suppressed between florets.

GLUMES Glumes several; 2–3 empty glumes; persistent; similar; shorter than spikelet. Upper glume oblate; 2–2.5 mm long; 0.66 length of adjacent fertile lemma; chartaceous; without keels; 5 -veined. Upper glume lateral veins prominent. Upper glume surface pilose. Upper glume apex obtuse.

FLORETS Fertile lemma oblate; 3 mm long; chartaceous; without keel; 5 -veined. Lemma surface pilose. Lemma apex obtuse. Palea tightly convolute around flower; 2–2.5 mm long. Palea surface pubescent; hairy on flanks.

FLOWER Lodicules 3; 1 mm long; ciliate. Anthers 6; 1.8–2 mm long. Stigmas 3.

FRUIT Caryopsis with fleshy pericarp; orbicular; isodiametric.

DISTRIBUTION Asia-tropical: Indo-China.

NOTES Bambuseae. Nguyen & Tran 2011.

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