宜兴苦竹 yi xing ku zhu

Arundinaria yixingensis (S. L. Chen & S. Y. Chen) C. S. Chao & G. Y. Yang.

Culms 3–5 m, 1.2–2 cm in diam.; internodes cylindrical, concave basally above branches, 17–18 cm, initially yellow-green, slightly purple, densely glaucous, dark green and yellow with black powder when old, glabrous; wall ca. 3 mm thick; nodes weakly prominent. Culm sheaths green or yellow, densely glaucous, purple setose, margins ciliate, apex withered; auricles falcate; oral setae purple-red, 5–10 mm, rigid, scabrous; ligules prominent or truncate, 4–5 mm, densely glaucous; blade purple-green, narrow, shortly linear-lanceolate or lanceolate, revolute, densely pubescent, constricted at base, margins serrulate, apex acute. Leaves 4 or 5 per ultimate branch; sheath glabrous; auricles variable in shape; oral setae radiate, straw-colored or purple-red; ligule prominent, ca. 3 mm, densely glaucous; blade elliptic-lanceolate, 13.5–24 × 2–3 cm, abaxially tomentellate and proximally pilose by midrib, adaxially glabrous, secondary veins 6–8-paired, base cuneate, margins serrulate, apex acuminate. Inflorescence unknown. New shoots early May.

* Frequent on low hills. Jiangsu.