Poaceae
Chusquea

Chusquea exasperata L.G.Clark

First published in Syst. Bot. 15: 627 (1990)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Ecuador to Peru. It is a bamboo and grows primarily in the wet tropical biome.

Descriptions

Morphology General Habit
Perennial. Culms scandent; pendulous at the tip; 1000-1200 cm long; 13-25 mm diam.; woody; without nodal roots. Culm-internodes channelled; 14.5-24 cm long; distally glabrous, or pilose. Lateral branches dendroid; infravaginal. Bud prophyll 80-100 mm long. Branch complement many; in a clump; thinner than stem. Culm-sheaths persistent; 35.5-57 cm long; antrorsely scabrous. Culm-sheath ligule 1.5 mm high; ciliate. Culm-sheath blade triangular; indistinctly demarcated from sheath; erect; 0.8-1.2 cm long; scabrid, or pubescent. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 3-6 mm long; obtuse. Collar with external ligule. Leaf-blade base with a brief petiole-like connection to sheath; petiole 0.3-0.4 cm long. Leaf-blades lanceolate; 9.2-24.2 cm long; 10-14 mm wide. Leaf-blade venation without cross veins. Leaf-blade surface glabrous. Leaf-blade apex acuminate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence a panicle; bracteate at branch bases and bracteate at pedicel base; embraced at base by subtending leaf. Panicle open; linear; 8-14 cm long. Primary panicle branches appressed; 2.5-3.5 cm long. Panicle axis angular; scabrous; glabrous. Panicle branches angular; glabrous. Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled. Pedicels angular; 2-4 mm long; glabrous.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
Spikelets comprising 2 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets elliptic; laterally compressed; 10.7-11.3 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 elliptic; laterally compressed; 10.7-11.3 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Glume
Glumes persistent; shorter than spikelet; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume ovate; 1.9-2.2 mm long; membranous; without keels; 2 -veined. Lower glume surface scabrous. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume ovate; 3-3.2 mm long; 0.25 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; without keels; 3 -veined. Upper glume surface scabrous. Upper glume apex acute.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Florets
Basal sterile florets barren; without significant palea; attached to and deciduous with the fertile. Lemma of lower sterile floret ovate; 4.9-5.5 mm long; 0.5 length of fertile lemma; chartaceous; 7-9 -veined; scabrous; acute; mucronate. Lemma of upper sterile floret ovate; 7.5-8.4 mm long; chartaceous; scabrous; acute; mucronate. Fertile lemma ovate; 10.1-10.3 mm long; coriaceous; without keel; 9-11 -veined. Lemma surface scabrous. Lemma apex acute. Palea 9.6-9.7 mm long; 4 -veined. Palea keels contiguous above a sulcus.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Lodicules 3; 2 mm long; membranous; ciliate. Anthers 3; 4.5-5.4 mm long. Stigmas 2.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; apex unappendaged.
Distribution
South America: western South America.
Reference
Bambuseae. Clark 1995.
[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