Poaceae
Chusquea

Chusquea leptophylla Nees

First published in Linnaea 9: 489 (1835)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is SE. & S. Brazil. It is a bamboo and grows primarily in the wet tropical biome.

Descriptions

Morphology General Habit
Perennial. Culms leaning, or scandent; 2 mm diam.; woody; without nodal roots. Culm-internodes terete; solid; 13 cm long; scaberulous. Lateral branches dendroid. Branch complement many. Culm-sheaths persistent; antrorsely scabrous. Leaf-sheaths keeled; outer margin hairy. Leaf-sheath oral hairs ciliate. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 0.5-1.5 mm long; truncate. Leaf-blade base cuneate. Leaf-blades linear; 8-12 cm long; 3 mm wide. Leaf-blade venation without cross veins. Leaf-blade surface glabrous.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence a panicle. Panicle open; pyramidal; 3-7 cm long. Primary panicle branches spreading. Panicle branches puberulous. Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
Spikelets comprising 2 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate; laterally compressed; 6-8 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret.
Fertile
Spikelets comprising 2 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate; laterally compressed; 6-8 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Glume
Glumes both absent or obscure.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Florets
Basal sterile florets similar; barren; without significant palea; attached to and deciduous with the fertile. Lemma of lower sterile floret lanceolate; 3-4 mm long; 0.5 length of spikelet; chartaceous; acute; mucronate. Lemma of upper sterile floret lanceolate; 4.5-5.5 mm long; 1.5 length of lower sterile floret; chartaceous; acute; mucronate. Fertile lemma elliptic; 5-7 mm long; coriaceous; without keel. Lemma apex acuminate. Palea 1 length of lemma.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Lodicules 3; membranous. Anthers 3. Stigmas 2.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; apex unappendaged.
Distribution
South America: Brazil.
Reference
Bambuseae. Fl Cat 1996.
[GB]

Sources

  • GrassBase - The Online World Grass Flora

    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Herbarium Catalogue Specimens

    • Digital Image © Board of Trustees, RBG Kew http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

  • Kew Backbone Distributions

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2023. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2022 World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2023. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2022 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0