Poaceae
Chusquea

Chusquea glauca L.G.Clark

First published in Syst. Bot. Monogr. 27: 95 (1989)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Mexico (Veracruz). It is a bamboo and grows primarily in the seasonally dry tropical biome.

Descriptions

Morphology General Habit
Perennial. Culms scandent; pendulous at the tip; 500-600 cm long; 5-10 mm diam.; woody; without nodal roots. Culm-internodes terete; solid; mid-green, or mid-green and purple; concolorous, or mottled; antrorsely scabrous. Lateral branches dendroid; infravaginal. Bud complement 3. Branch complement several; in a clump; thinner than stem. Culm-sheaths persistent; 4.2-8.7 cm long; glabrous. Culm-sheath ligule 0.5 mm high; ciliolate. Culm-sheath blade triangular; deciduous; erect; 1.1-4.8 cm long; scabrid. Leaves 5-8 per branch. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 1-3 mm long; pubescent on abaxial surface; truncate. Collar with external ligule. Leaf-blade base with a brief petiole-like connection to sheath; petiole 0.4-0.7 cm long. Leaf-blades lanceolate; 14.4-29 cm long; 2.1-4 mm wide; glaucous. Leaf-blade venation without cross veins. Leaf-blade surface pubescent; hairy abaxially. Leaf-blade apex acuminate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence a panicle. Panicle open; ovate; 14-18 cm long. Primary panicle branches spreading; 5-11 cm long. Panicle axis angular; pubescent. Panicle branches angular; pubescent. Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled. Pedicels angular.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
Spikelets comprising 2 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets elliptic; laterally compressed; 7.2-7.5 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; 7.2-7.5 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; 0.4 mm long; membranous; without keels; 0 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume surface pubescent. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume ovate; 0.5 mm long; 0.05-0.1 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; without keels; 0 -veined. Upper glume primary vein absent. Upper glume lateral veins absent. Upper glume surface pubescent. 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; 3 mm long; 0.33 length of fertile lemma; chartaceous; 1 -veined; without lateral veins; acute. Lemma of upper sterile floret ovate; 3.6 mm long; chartaceous; acute. Fertile lemma ovate; 6.7 mm long; coriaceous; without keel; 7 -veined. Lemma apex apiculate. Palea 4.5 mm long; 2 -veined.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Lodicules 3; membranous; ciliate. Anthers 3. Stigmas 2.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; apex unappendaged.
Distribution
North America: Mexico.
Reference
Bambuseae. Clark 1995.
[GB]

Sources

  • GrassBase - The Online World Grass Flora

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