Poaceae
Chusquea

Chusquea scabra Soderstr. & C.E.Calderón

First published in Brittonia 30: 300 (1978)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Costa Rica to Panama. It is a bamboo and grows primarily in the wet tropical biome.

Descriptions

Morphology General Habit
Perennial; caespitose. Rhizomes short; pachymorph. Culms scandent; 500-1000 cm long; 20-30 mm diam.; woody; without nodal roots, or with aerial roots from the nodes. Culm-internodes terete; solid; mid-green; concolorous; antrorsely scabrous. Lateral branches dendroid; extravaginal. Branch complement many; in a clump; with subequal branches and interspersed leafless fibrillar branches; thinner than stem. Culm-sheaths green and purple; distinctly mottled with last colour; antrorsely scabrous; without auricles. Culm-sheath ligule 0.3-0.5 mm high. Culm-sheath blade lanceolate. Leaves 2-3 per branch. Leaf-sheaths glabrous on surface; outer margin hairy. Leaf-sheath oral hairs ciliate. Leaf-sheath auricles erect; 3 mm long; obtuse. Ligule an eciliate membrane. Collar with external ligule. Leaf-blade base with a brief petiole-like connection to sheath; petiole 0.3-0.4 cm long. Leaf-blades deciduous at the ligule; lanceolate; 11-15 cm long; 12-15 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface scaberulous; rough on both sides; glabrous, or pubescent; sparsely hairy; hairy abaxially. Leaf-blade margins cartilaginous; scabrous.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence a panicle. Panicle open; linear; 10-24 cm long; 1 cm wide. Primary panicle branches appressed; 1-8 cm long; bearing spikelets almost to the base. Panicle branches angular; scabrous. Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled. Pedicels 3-8 mm long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
Spikelets comprising 2 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets ovate; laterally compressed; acuminate; 8.2-10.3 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 ovate; laterally compressed; acuminate; 8.2-10.3 mm long; 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 ovate; 2-3.2 mm long; 0.6-0.75 length of upper glume; membranous; without keels; 1 -veined. Lower glume primary vein scabrous. Lower glume lateral veins absent. Lower glume apex acute; awned; 1 -awned. Lower glume awn 1 mm long. Upper glume ovate; 3.2-4.1 mm long; 0.4-0.5 length of adjacent fertile lemma; without keels; 3-4 -veined. Upper glume primary vein scabrous. Upper glume apex acute; awned; 1 -awned. Upper glume awn 1 mm long.
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; 4.2-5.6 mm long; membranous; 5 -veined; scaberulous; ciliate on margins; acute; awned. Awn of lower sterile floret 1 mm long. Lemma of upper sterile floret ovate; 6.2-8 mm long; membranous; scabrous; ciliolate on margins; acute; awned. Awn of upper sterile floret 1 mm long. Fertile lemma ovate; 8-9.3 mm long; coriaceous; without keel; 7 -veined. Lemma apex acute. Palea keels contiguous above a sulcus; scabrous. Palea apex dentate; 2 -fid.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Lodicules 3; ovate; membranous; veined; ciliate. Anthers 3; 4.3-4.5 mm long; yellow. Stigmas 2.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; apex unappendaged.
Distribution
South America: Mesoamericana.
Reference
Bambuseae. Fl Costaric 1994.
[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