Annamocalamus H. N. Nguyen, N.-H. Xia &V. T. Tran,

Tran, Van Tien, Nguyen, Hoang Nghia & Xia, Nian-He, 2013, Annamocalamus H. N. Nguyen, N. - H. Xia & V. T. Tran, a new genus of bamboo (Poaceae) from Vietnam, Candollea 68 (1), pp. 159-165 : 160-161

Annamocalamus H. N. Nguyen, N.-H. Xia &V. T. Tran, gen. nov.

Type species: A. kontumensis H. N. Nguyen, N. -H. Xia & V. T. Tran

Genus nova habitu Melocanna , Stapletonia similis, sed rhizomatis sympodialibus, rhizomemate brevi collo, inflorrescentilis iterauctantilus, pseudospiculae ad convivia in foliis nodorum distal ramis florentibus, glumis 3, stigmatibus 3 differt.

Densely tufted with rhizomes short necked, pachymorph. Culms erect, when young densely covered with appressed white hairs, becoming rough when old due to silica; culms walls thin; nodes slight swollen. Branches a cluster of slender subequal branches, none dominant, these branching further. Culm sheaths persistent, greenish brown, rough, when young covered with densely appressed purple-brown bristle on the abaxial surface, margins dense purple-brown hairs; blade tardily deciduous, triangular, erected, base black-brown when young and produced upwards into rounded, abaxial dense white powder, margins dense cilia, adaxilly dense hairs at the base; auricles. Leaf blades oblong-obovate, base broadly cuneate, margins and adaxilly surface dense white cilia; leaf sheaths dense white cilia, auricles. Inflorescence iterauctant, bracteaete, pseudospikelets in groups at the distal nodes on leafless flowering branches; 1 fertile floret, glumes 3, apex acute, mucronate, margins shortly white-hispid, abaxial surface sparse white cilia; lemma oblong-lanceolate, apex acute, mucronate, convolute and covering most of the palea, margins dense white cilia; palea oblong-lanceolate, strongly involutes, sparse white cilia, apex bifid, with a narrow groove on the back (at the base rachilla is joined); lodicules 3; stamens 6, filaments free, apex obtuse; style long; stigmas 3, plumose; ovary glabrous, shortly stalked. Pericarp thick, apple shaped, fleshy, globose.

Etymology. – The specific epithet refers to Annamite range (Truong Son Range of Central Vietnam, where the species is located, calamus: reed).

Notes. – This remarkable genus is similar to Melocanna and Stapletonia in general appearance, but can be distinguished by the short necked rhizomes (vs long necked rhizomes in Melocanna or with extended necks in Stapletonia ), pseudospikelets grouped at the distal nodes on leafless flowering branches (vs slightly compressed bilaterally on terminal leafy branches in Melocanna or large densely glomerate heads on terminal leafy branches in Stapletonia ) and a long style with 3 stigmas (vs 2 to 4 or 2). The complete list of distinctive characters are summarized in Table 1 .