Poaceae
Chusquea

Chusquea windischii L.G.Clark

First published in Brittonia 44: 405 (1992)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Brazil (Santa Catarina). It is a bamboo and grows primarily in the seasonally dry tropical biome.

Descriptions

Morphology General Habit
Perennial. Culms erect; 100 cm long; 10 mm diam.; woody; without nodal roots, or with root dots on the nodes. Culm-internodes terete; thick-walled; 6-8 cm long; distally pruinose. Culm-nodes swollen; with distinct supra-nodal ridge. Lateral branches dendroid; intravaginal; ascending. Bud complement 5-9. Branch complement several; in a horizontal line. Culm-sheaths deciduous; 6.4-9.2 cm long; antrorsely scabrous; glabrous on margins, or hairy on margins; without auricles. Culm-sheath ligule 1-2 mm high; ciliolate. Culm-sheath blade triangular; demarcated but persistent; erect; 3.2-4.2 cm long; scabrid. Leaves 4-8 per branch. Leaf-sheaths tight; glabrous on surface, or pubescent. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 1.5-2 mm long; glabrous on abaxial surface; obtuse. Collar with external ligule. Leaf-blade base with a brief petiole-like connection to sheath; petiole 0.05 cm long. Leaf-blades lanceolate; 3.6-5.9 cm long; 8-10 mm wide; coriaceous. Leaf-blade venation without cross veins. Leaf-blade surface glabrous. Leaf-blade apex acute.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence a panicle; embraced at base by subtending leaf. Panicle contracted; linear; 1.5-2 cm long. Primary panicle branches appressed. Panicle axis pubescent. Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled. Pedicels 2-3.5 mm long; pubescent.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
Spikelets comprising 2 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets elliptic; subterete; 4.3-4.9 mm long; 1.1-1.2 mm wide; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret.
Fertile
Spikelets comprising 2 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets elliptic; subterete; 4.3-4.9 mm long; 1.1-1.2 mm wide; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Glume
Glumes persistent; similar; shorter than spikelet; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume orbicular; 0.1-0.2 mm long; 0.5-1 length of upper glume; membranous; without keels; 0 -veined. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex obtuse. Upper glume orbicular; 0.2-0.3 mm long; 0.03-0.05 length of adjacent fertile lemma; without keels; 0 -veined. Upper glume primary vein absent. Upper glume lateral veins absent. Upper glume apex obtuse.
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 ovate; 2.8-3.2 mm long; 0.66 length of fertile lemma; chartaceous; 3 -veined; acute; mucronate. Lemma of upper sterile floret ovate; 2.8-3.2 mm long; 1 length of lower sterile floret; chartaceous; acute; mucronate. Fertile lemma ovate; 4.3-4.8 mm long; coriaceous; without keel; 7 -veined. Lemma apex acute; mucronate. Palea 4.1-4.7 mm long; 1 length of lemma; 4 -veined. Palea surface pubescent; hairy on back.
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. Clarke 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