Poaceae
Chusquea

Chusquea cumingii Nees

First published in Linnaea 9: 487 (1835)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Central Chile. It is a bamboo and grows primarily in the temperate biome.

Descriptions

Morphology General Habit
Perennial. Culms 200-500 cm long; woody; without nodal roots. Culm-internodes terete; solid. Lateral branches dendroid. Branch complement many; in a horizontal line; with 1 branch dominant. Leaf-sheath oral hairs ciliate. Ligule an eciliate membrane. Collar with external ligule. Leaf-blade base with a brief petiole-like connection to sheath. Leaf-blades linear, or lanceolate; 4-8 cm long; 3-7 mm wide. Leaf-blade venation without cross veins. Leaf-blade surface glabrous. Leaf-blade margins scabrous. Leaf-blade apex acuminate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence a panicle. Panicle contracted, or spiciform; linear, or elliptic; 2.5-7 cm long. Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
Spikelets comprising 2 basal sterile florets; 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate; laterally compressed; 7-9 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 lanceolate; laterally compressed; 7-9 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; 1-2 mm long; membranous; 1-keeled. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume ovate; 2-3 mm long; 0.25-0.33 length of adjacent fertile lemma; membranous; 1-keeled. 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; 4 mm long; chartaceous; 3-5 -veined; acuminate. Lemma of upper sterile floret ovate; 5-6 mm long; chartaceous; acuminate. Fertile lemma ovate; 7-9 mm long; coriaceous; without keel; 7 -veined. Lemma apex acute. Palea 5-7 mm long; 4 -veined.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Lodicules 3. Anthers 3. Stigmas 2.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; apex unappendaged.
Distribution
South America: southern South America.
Reference
Bambuseae. Fl Sant de Chile 2001.
[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: low confidence
[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

    • 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 2024. 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 2024. 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