Family Description
Annual or perennial; tufted, rhizomatous or stoloniferous. Leaves in basal, vegetative shoots and inserted distichously along stems(culms); blade usually ± linear; sheath open or closed, with a commonly membranous ligule at junction with base of blade. culms herbaceous or woody, jointed, internodes usually hollow. Infls. composed of spikelets. spikelets arranged in a panicle or raceme, racemes sometimes spike-like, parital infls. sometimes substended by bladeless sheaths (spathes). spikelets of distichously arranged bracts, the lower pair (occasionally one absent) sterile, called glumes, and one or more florets, if more than one than inserted along a slender axis (rachilla that may break up (disarticulate), or persist. florets composed of lemma and a usually 2-keeled palea subtending a single flower. flower usually bisexual, ovary with a single ovule, stigma commonly 2, feathery; stamens usually 3 (sometimes 1,2, or 6), subtended by 2 (_3 or ocassionally more) minute scales (lodicules). fruit an indehiscent grain(caryopsis), pericarp sometimes free, ocassionally fleshy.
Genus Description
Rhizomes leptomorph; culms arising singly. Culms to 8m, erect; nodes swollen, often with ring of thorns; internodes smooth or scarbrous, ridged above branches, often slightly quadrangular. Mid-culm branch buds ovate, enclosed between 2, single-keeled bracts, oopen at front; lateral branches2, from compressed basal nodes on dominant central branch, with subtending sheaths. Branches usually 3. Leaf blades with strong cross-veins. Infl. bracteate, mainly exserted from broad, persistent, often blade sheaths; branches(paraclades) erect, dense, clustered, subtended by sheaths; branching racemose to paniculate, never unilateral, pulvini absent; branching always prophyllate, prophyll of lateral spikelets a lower glumes; terminal spikelets with 1- 2 glumes; prophyll and glumes lacking subtending buds or with buds that may(flowering iterauctant) or may not(flowering semelauctant) develop. Spikelets narrow, cylindric. Florets just overlapping; rhachilla long. Stamen 3. Flowering gregarious.
Species Description
Culms to 6m; nodes pubescent, with ring of thorns; internodes smooth, motled brown, terete. Culm sheaths lightly pubescent; blades small, erect , auricles absent; oral setae few, erect. Leaf sheaths glabrous with ciliate edges; auricles small, spreading laterally; oral setae long and erect. Infl. axis pubescent. Terminnal spiket-lets rudimentary. Lateral spikelets long; glumes with small vestigial buds; florets fewer than 10; rhachilla glabrous; lemma glabrous; palea keels ciliate.
Habit
Bamboo
