Guadua Venezuelae

HABIT:

• Perennial; caespitose.
• Rhizomes short; pachymorph.
• Culms erect; woody.
• Culm-internodes terete; thick-walled.
• Culm-nodes pubescent.
• Lateral branches dendroid.
• Branch complement several; in a clump.
• Leaf-sheaths hirsute; outer margin hairy.
• Leaf-sheath oral hairs ciliate; deciduous.
• Ligule an eciliate membrane; 0.5 mm long; truncate.
• Collar with external ligule.
• Leaf-blade base with a brief petiole-like connection to sheath.
• Leaf-blades lanceolate; 3–12 cm long; 7–10 mm wide.
• Leaf-blade venation with 6–8 secondary veins.
• Leaf-blade surface scabrous; rough adaxially; glabrous, or pilose; hairy abaxially.
• Leaf-blade margins scaberulous.
• Leaf-blade apex acuminate.

 

INFLORESCENCE:

• Synflorescence bractiferous; clustered at the nodes; in untidy tufts; 2–3 cm between clusters; with glumaceous subtending bracts; with axillary buds at base of spikelet; prophyllate below lateral spikelets; leafless between branches.

 

FERTILE SPIKELETS:

• Spikelets comprising 5–8 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex.
• Spikelets linear; subterete; 18–24 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret.

 

GLUMES:

• Glumes several; comprising 2–3 gemmiferous bracts; persistent; similar; shorter than spikelet.

 

FLORETS:

• Fertile lemma ovate; 5–8 mm long; coriaceous; without keel; 9–11 -veined.
• Lemma margins ciliolate.
• Lemma apex acute.
• Palea 1 length of lemma.
• Palea keels winged; conspicuously winged.
• Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

 

FLOWER:

• Lodicules 3.
• Anthers 6.
• Stigmas 3.

 

FRUIT:

• Caryopsis with adherent pericarp.

 

DISTRIBUTION:

• South America: northern South America.

 

Sources:
GrassBase - The Online World Grass Flora
INBAR (International Network for Bamboo and Rattan)