'Ohe

Description

Joinvillea ascendens is a grass-like herb that grows up to 5 m tall. It produces underground stems called rhizomes that may connect adjacent plants.The stems are hollow except at the nodes and the leaf bases clasp the stem however remain open on one side of the stem unlike grasses in which the leaf bases fully enclose the stem. The leaves of Joinvillea ascendens can be up to 80 cm long and 16 cm wide and possess 7-13 pleats on each side of the midvein. The flowers of Joinvillea are produced in a branched inflorescence or cluster that is 10-40 cm long. The flowers are small and inconspicuous and lack brightly colored petals as they are not insect pollinated. The perianth contains six membranous tepals that are 3.5-4 mm long and 2.6-2.2 mm wide that often split with age. The fruit are also small, at only 5.8 mm in length, and are fleshy at maturity. Each fruit contains 1-3 round, slightly wrinkled seeds. Four subspecies are recognized in Joinvillea ascendens based on morphological variability, particularly in the tepal size and shape. Joinvillea ascendens subsp. glabra has slightly compressed stems, narrow leaves that are only 7 cm wide with 7-9 pleats on each side of the midvein, tepals with a small sharp abrupt point at the apex, and fruits that are 4.8 mm wide.