Aulonemia scripta

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Culms 50 cm long; 7 mm diam.; woody. Culm-internodes terete; hollow; distally glabrous. Culm-nodes viscid (below node). Lateral branches dendroid. Bud complement 1. Branch complement one; solitary. Culm-sheaths yellow and purple; distinctly mottled with last colour; glabrous. Culm-sheath blade inconspicuous, or lanceolate; reflexed; 0–2 cm long. Leaves 6–12 per branch. Leaf-sheaths viscid; striately veined; glabrous on surface, or pubescent; outer margin glabrous. Leaf-sheath oral hairs scanty; curly; 4–8 mm long. Leaf-sheath auricles absent, or erect; 3 mm long. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 1.5–2.5 mm long. Collar with external ligule. Leaf-blade base with a brief petiole-like connection to sheath; petiole 0.5–0.6 cm long. Leaf-blades reflexed; lanceolate; 16–18 cm long; 20–27 mm wide; coriaceous; viscid. Leaf-blade surface scaberulous; rough abaxially; glabrous. Leaf-blade margins cartilaginous; scaberulous. Leaf-blade apex acuminate.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle. Peduncle 6–8 cm long; smooth; glabrous.

Panicle open; ovate; loose; 20–23 cm long; 12–20 cm wide. Primary panicle branches 3–6 in number; ascending; 1 -nate. Panicle branches capillary; scaberulous.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled. Pedicels 6–24 mm long.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 6–8 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets oblong; laterally compressed; 18.3–23.1 mm long; 2.9–5.5 mm wide; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; shorter than spikelet; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume lanceolate; 2.1–3 mm long; 0.33 length of upper glume; membranous; without keels; 3–7 -veined. Lower glume surface pubescent. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume lanceolate; 6–7.8 mm long; 0.66 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; without keels; 9–11 -veined. Upper glume surface pubescent. Upper glume apex acute; mucronate, or awned; 1 -awned. Upper glume awn 0.4–0.5 mm long.

FLORETS Fertile florets decreasing in size upwards. Fertile lemma lanceolate; 9.1–11.6 mm long; 1.5–2.1 mm wide; chartaceous; without keel; 9–15 -veined. Lemma surface puberulous. Lemma apex acute; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn 1–4.7 mm long overall. Palea elliptic; 8–11 mm long; 1 length of lemma. Palea keels ciliolate. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

FLOWER Lodicules 3; 1–1.3 mm long; veined; ciliate. Anthers 3; 4.5 mm long; yellow, or brown.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; oblong; 4.3–5.9 mm long. Embryo 0.66 length of caryopsis. Hilum linear; 1 length of caryopsis.

DISTRIBUTION South America: western South America.

NOTES Bambuseae. Judz. & Wayda 2011.

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