Aulonemia cincta

HABIT Perennial. Rhizomes short; pachymorph (amphipodial, rooting from decumbent culm). Culms decumbent, or leaning, or scandent; 150–400 cm long; 2–4 mm diam.; woody. Culm-internodes terete; with small lumen; 4.5–22.2 cm long; smooth; distally glabrous, or pubescent. Culm-nodes with distinct supra-nodal ridge. Lateral branches suffrutescent. Bud complement 1. Branch complement one; solitary. Culm-sheaths 4.5–7.3 cm long; green, or brown and red; distinctly mottled with last colour; glabrous, or pilose; setose on shoulders; shoulders with 1–2 mm long hairs. Culm-sheath ligule 0.1–0.2 mm high; ciliolate. Culm-sheath blade linear, or lanceolate; constricted at base; reflexed; 2.8–5.6 cm long; 5–10 mm wide; glabrous on surface, or pubescent. Leaf-sheaths 5.2–9.5 cm long; glabrous on surface; outer margin glabrous. Leaf-sheath oral hairs ciliate; 1.5–2.5 mm long. Ligule a ciliolate membrane; 0.2 mm long. Collar with external ligule. Leaf-blade base broadly rounded; asymmetrical; with a brief petiole-like connection to sheath; petiole 0.15–0.31 cm long; petiole pubescent. Leaf-blades lanceolate; 4.6–15.6 cm long; 8–32 mm wide; membranous, or chartaceous; mid-green and glaucous; discolorous with last colour beneath. Leaf-blade venation without cross veins. Leaf-blade surface puberulous; hairy abaxially. Leaf-blade margins scabrous. Leaf-blade apex acuminate.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.

Panicle open; pyramidal; 14.5–23.7 cm long; 9–21.3 cm wide.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled. Pedicels 2–38 mm long; glabrous.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 2–4 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension, or with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets elliptic; laterally compressed; 12–20 mm long; 2–4 mm wide; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Rhachilla internodes 2.8–5.2 mm long; scaberulous.

GLUMES Glumes two; 2 empty glumes; persistent; dissimilar; shorter than spikelet; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume lanceolate; 2.8–3.2 mm long; 0.5 length of upper glume; membranous; 1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume surface asperulous. Lower glume apex attenuate. Upper glume elliptic; 6.4–7.3 mm long; membranous; 3–6 -veined. Upper glume surface glabrous, or puberulous. Upper glume apex attenuate.

FLORETS Fertile lemma elliptic; 9.2 mm long; chartaceous; light brown; without keel; 6–7 -veined. Lemma surface puberulous. Lemma apex attenuate. Palea 6.8–7.9 mm long; 2 -veined. Palea surface papillose. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

FLOWER Lodicules 3; elliptic, or ovate; ciliate. Ovary pubescent on apex.

DISTRIBUTION South America: Brazil.

NOTES Bambuseae. Vianna & Filg. 2014.

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