Poaceae
Drepanostachyum

Drepanostachyum intermedium (Munro) Keng f.

First published in J. Bamboo Res. 2(1): 18 (1983)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is E. Central & E. Himalaya. It is a bamboo and grows primarily in the subtropical biome.

Descriptions

Morphology General Habit
Perennial; caespitose. Rhizomes short; pachymorph. Culms erect; 250-400 cm long; 10-12 mm diam.; woody. Culm-internodes terete; thin-walled; 12-25 cm long; grey. Lateral branches dendroid. Branch complement many; with subequal branches. Culm-sheaths 20-25 cm long; 5-8 times as long as wide; chartaceous; glabrous; truncate at apex; ciliate on shoulders. Culm-sheath ligule 3-5 mm high. Culm-sheath blade linear; reflexed; 1.2-5 cm long. Leaf-sheaths striately veined; glabrous on surface, or hispid. Leaf-sheath oral hairs setose; deciduous. Leaf-sheath auricles falcate. Ligule an eciliate membrane. Leaf-blade base with a brief petiole-like connection to sheath; petiole 0.2-0.3 cm long. Leaf-blades deciduous at the ligule; linear, or lanceolate, or oblong; 7.5-20 cm long; 12-25 mm wide; light green; glandular. Leaf-blade midrib conspicuous. Leaf-blade venation with 6-14 secondary veins; with obscure cross veins. Leaf-blade surface scabrous; rough adaxially. Leaf-blade margins scabrous. Leaf-blade apex attenuate; filiform.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Synflorescence on a separate leafless culm. Inflorescence a panicle; terminal and axillary; bracteate at branch bases; subtended by bracts. Panicle open. Primary panicle branches indistinct the panicle almost racemose. Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
Spikelets comprising 3-5 fertile florets; with a barren rhachilla extension, or with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets oblong; laterally compressed; 12-25 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Rhachilla internodes compressed; clavate; pilose; hairy above.
Fertile
Spikelets comprising 3-5 fertile florets; with a barren rhachilla extension, or with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets oblong; laterally compressed; 12-25 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Rhachilla internodes compressed; clavate; pilose; hairy above.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Glume
Glumes persistent; similar; shorter than spikelet; similar to fertile lemma in texture. Lower glume ovate; without keels; 3-5 -veined. Lower glume surface pilose; hairy at apex. Lower glume apex obtuse, or acute. Upper glume elliptic; without keels; 7-9 -veined. Upper glume surface pilose; hairy at apex. Upper glume apex obtuse, or acute.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Florets
Fertile lemma ovate; 7-9 mm long; chartaceous; without keel; 7-9 -veined. Lemma lateral veins prominent. Lemma surface smooth, or scaberulous. Lemma apex acute; mucronate. Palea 6 -veined. Palea keels ciliolate. Palea apex with excurrent keel veins. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Lodicules 3; veined; ciliate. Anthers 3; anther tip smooth. Stigmas 2. Ovary glabrous.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; fusiform; 12 mm long; apex unappendaged. Hilum linear.
Distribution
Asia-tropical: India.
Reference
Bambuseae. Gamble 1995.
[GB]

Extinction risk predictions for the world's flowering plants to support their conservation (2024). Bachman, S.P., Brown, M.J.M., Leão, T.C.C., Lughadha, E.N., Walker, B.E. https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/nph.19592

Conservation
Predicted extinction risk: not threatened. Confidence: confident
[AERP]

Sources

  • Angiosperm Extinction Risk Predictions v1

    • Angiosperm Threat Predictions
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

  • GrassBase - The Online World Grass Flora

    • Clayton, W.D., Vorontsova, M.S., Harman, K.T. and Williamson, H. (2006 onwards). GrassBase - The Online World Grass Flora.
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Herbarium Catalogue Specimens

    • 'The Herbarium Catalogue, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published on the Internet http://www.kew.org/herbcat [accessed on Day Month Year]'. Please enter the date on which you consulted the system.
    • 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 2025. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 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 2025. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0