小花方竹 xiao hua fang zhu

Culms 4–6 m tall, 1.5–2 cm in diam.; internodes initially setose distally, persistently verrucose; wall thin; branching nodes with very prominent ridge, basal nodes each with a ring of root thorns; sheath scar level, glabrous, sometimes with slight base of persistent culm sheath. Branches 3 per node. Culm sheaths deciduous, shorter than internodes, thickly papery, veins distinct, veinlets indistinct, margins fulvous ciliate; ligule ca. 1 mm, sparsely ciliate; blade readily deciduous, subulate. Leaves 3–5 per ultimate branch; sheath thinly leathery, glabrous, margin ciliate; oral setae white, ca. 1.2 cm; leaf blade narrowly lanceolate, 9–22 × 0.7–0.9 cm, papery, abaxially sparsely white setulose, secondary veins 4- or 5-paired. Inflorescences 8–24 cm with up to 5 brown spikelets; pedicels short or absent. Glumes 2, membranous, apex blunt; lower glume 4–5 mm, abaxially sparsely hirtellous, 5-veined; upper glume 5–6 mm, glabrous, 7-veined; lemma 7–9 mm, membranous, glabrous, secondary veins purplish, apex long acuminate; palea subequal to lemma, 2-veined between keels, apex obtuse, subentire.

Yunnan [N Vietnam].