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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.
Merostachys yungasensis
HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Rhizomes short; pachymorph. Culms erect; 1000–1500 cm long; 15 mm diam.; woody. Culm-internodes terete; hollow; 50 cm long; retrorsely scabrous; distally glabrous. Culm-nodes swollen. Lateral branches dendroid. Branch complement many; flabellate; thinner than stem. Leaf-sheaths scaberulous. Leaf-sheath oral hairs setose; 2–3.25 mm long; pale. Ligule a ciliolate membrane; 1 mm long. Collar with external ligule. Leaf-blade base asymmetrical; with a brief petiole-like connection to sheath; petiole 0.4–0.6 cm long; petiole glabrous. Leaf-blades lanceolate, or oblong; 14–23 cm long; 35–51 mm wide; glaucous. Leaf-blade venation with 18–20 secondary veins. Leaf-blade margins scabrous. Leaf-blade apex attenuate.
INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence composed of racemes.
Racemes 1; single; unilateral; 6.5–7 cm long; 15–16 mm wide; bearing 37–40 fertile spikelets on each. Rhachis pubescent on surface; terminating in a sterile spikelet. Spikelet packing broadside to rhachis; contiguous; regular.
Spikelets pectinate; solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled. Pedicels 2 mm long; pubescent.
STERILE SPIKELETS Apical sterile spikelets rudimentary.
FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets elliptic; laterally compressed; 14–15 mm long; 3–3.5 mm wide; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret.
GLUMES Glumes persistent; shorter than spikelet. Lower glume ovate; 3.5–4 mm long; 0.4 length of upper glume; chartaceous; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex acute; mucronate. Upper glume ovate; 8–8.5 mm long; 0.75 length of adjacent fertile lemma; chartaceous. Upper glume apex acuminate; mucronate.
FLORETS Fertile lemma ovate; 11–12 mm long; coriaceous; without keel; 14–16 -veined. Lemma lateral veins with cross-veins. Lemma apex acute. Palea elliptic; 11–12 mm long; chartaceous. Palea keels contiguous above a sulcus; scabrous. Rhachilla extension 10–12 mm long. Apical sterile florets 1 in number; linear.
FLOWER Lodicules 3; lanceolate; 1.8–3 mm long; membranous; veined. Anthers 3; 6–6.5 mm long. Stigmas 2; plumose. Styles 0.5–1 mm long.
DISTRIBUTION South America: western South America.
NOTES Bambuseae. Lizarazu 2012.
Please cite this publication as detailed in How to Cite Version: 3rd February 2016.
