Poaceae
Chusquea

Chusquea tomentosa Widmer & L.G.Clark

First published in Ann. Missouri Bot. Gard. 78: 165 (1991)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Costa Rica. It is a bamboo and grows primarily in the wet tropical biome.

Descriptions

Morphology General Habit
Perennial. Culms scandent; 600-900 cm long; 13-40 mm diam.; woody; without nodal roots. Culm-internodes terete; 18-38 cm long; smooth, or scaberulous. Lateral branches dendroid; infravaginal. Bud complement 50-60. Branch complement many; in a clump; thinner than stem. Culm-sheaths persistent; 11.8-25.4 cm long. Culm-sheath ligule 1-4 mm high. Culm-sheath blade triangular; narrower than sheath; demarcated but persistent; erect; 1.5-5.4 cm long; pubescent. Leaves 4-9 per branch. Leaf-sheaths glabrous on surface; outer margin hairy. Leaf-sheath oral hairs ciliate; erect and deciduous; 1-2 mm long. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 0.5-1 mm long; pubescent on abaxial surface; truncate, or obtuse. Collar with external ligule; glabrous. Leaf-blade base with a brief petiole-like connection to sheath; petiole 0.1-0.15 cm long. Leaf-blades linear; 15-27 cm long; 3-7 mm wide. Leaf-blade venation without cross veins. Leaf-blade surface pubescent; densely hairy; hairy abaxially.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence a panicle; exserted, or embraced at base by subtending leaf. Panicle open; linear; 8-16 cm long. Primary panicle branches 3-4 cm long. Panicle axis angular; scabrous; glabrous. Panicle branches angular; scabrous. Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled. Pedicels angular; 2-6 mm long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
Spikelets comprising 2 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets elliptic; laterally compressed; 11.5-15 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; 11.5-15 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; 0.5-1.3 mm long; membranous; without keels; 0-1 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume ovate; 0.7-1.5 mm long; without keels; 0-1 -veined. Upper glume primary vein absent, or obscure. 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; 7.2-9.7 mm long; chartaceous; 5-7 -veined; scabrous; acute. Lemma of upper sterile floret ovate; 11.7-14 mm long; chartaceous; scabrous; acute. Fertile lemma ovate; 11.5-13.5 mm long; coriaceous; without keel; 7-9 -veined. Lemma surface scabrous. Lemma apex acute. Palea 9.5-12.1 mm long; 6-8 -veined. Palea keels contiguous above a sulcus. Palea surface scabrous.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Lodicules 3; membranous; ciliate. Anthers 3; 6-8 mm long. Stigmas 2.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; apex unappendaged.
Distribution
South America: Mesoamericana.
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