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 yenbaiensis

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Rhizomes short; pachymorph. Culms scandent; 1500 cm long; 25–30 mm diam.; woody. Culm-internodes terete; solid; 50–70 cm long; grey. Lateral branches dendroid. Branch complement many. Culm-sheaths 16–17 cm long; 2 times as long as wide; pubescent; with appressed hairs; with white hairs; auriculate; with 6–7 mm high auricles; setose on shoulders; shoulders with 22 mm long hairs. Culm-sheath ligule 2 mm high. Culm-sheath blade triangular; narrower than sheath; reflexed; 11–15 cm long; 45–50 mm wide; acute. Leaves 4 per branch. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 2 mm long. Leaf-blade base with a brief petiole-like connection to sheath; petiole 1 cm long. Leaf-blades elliptic; 28–32 cm long; 45–50 mm wide. Leaf-blade venation with 16–18 secondary veins.

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; 3–4 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; 3 mm long; 1 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; 3–3.5 mm long; chartaceous; without keel; 5 -veined. Lemma surface pubescent. Lemma apex obtuse. Palea tightly convolute around flower; 3 mm long. Palea surface pubescent; hairy on flanks.

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

FRUIT Caryopsis with fleshy pericarp; orbicular; isodiametric; 15–20 mm long.

DISTRIBUTION Asia-tropical: Indo-China.

NOTES Bambuseae. Nguyen & Tran 2011.

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