Arundinella

Arundinella is a genus of herbaceous plants belonging to the Poaceae family. It is also known as Caña Fina. It has a cosmopolitan distribution, found in the Holarctic, tropical and Neotropical regions.

Description

They are perennial plants (Mesoamerica) cespitose with short, scaly rhizomes; fistulous stems; polygamous or hermaphrodite plants. rounded pods; ligule a membrane, glabrous or ciliated; linear, flattened or folded sheets. Inflorescence a solitary, terminal, open panicle; spikelets mostly paired, unequally pedicelate, dorsally compressed, with 2 florets; disarticulation at base of upper floret; glumes unequal, membranaceous, conspicuously veined, acute or acuminate, lower 3-veined, slightly shorter or longer than lower floret, upper 3–5-veined, much longer than florets, usually somewhat recurved; lower floret sterile or staminate; lower lemma acute, without awn, membranaceous, 3- or weakly 5-veined; upper floret bisexual; upper lemma much shorter than lower lemma, acuminate, weakly veined, usually long ridged from tip or between 2 minute teeth, teeth occasionally ridged (Old World), geniculate ridge, lower segment usually crooked, upper segment straight, margins folded inward over margins of superior palea; callus rounded, hairy; rachilla not prolonged; lodicules 2; stamens 3; styles 2. Fruit a caryopsis; embryo more than half caryopsis; dotted thread.

Taxonomy

The genus was described by Giuseppe Raddi and published in Agrostografia Brasiliensis 36–37, pl. 1, f. 3. 1823. The type species is: Arundinella brasiliensis Raddi.

Etymology

The name of the genus derives from the Latin Arundo (cane) and -ella (diminutive suffix).

Cytology

The basic chromosome number of the genus is x = 7, 10, 12 and 14, with somatic chromosome numbers of 2n = 14, 20, 28, 36 and 56, since there are diploid and tetraploid species.

Species