TAXONOMIC REVIEW OF THE SPECIES OF CHUSQUEA (POACEAE, BAMBUSOIDEAE, BAMBUSEAE) IN CHILE

Chusquea Kunth (Poaceae, Bambusoideae, Bambuseae) is the most diverse genus of woody bamboos in the world. In southern South America, several species of Chusquea are the dominant components of the understory and all of them are endemic to the region. The taxonomic position of some of those species has raised much controversy. In this work, a comprehensive taxonomic revision of the Chusquea species native to Chile is presented, including synonyms, descriptions, iconography, geographic distribution, habitat, phenology, common names, and a key for the identification of the 13 taxa considered here (12 species and one form) based on vegetative and reproductive morphological characters. Chusquea andina Phil. and C. gigantea Demoly are included for the first time in a taxonomic treatment, establishing their differences with related entities and, thus, resolving the C. culeou E. Desv. species complex. Also, a complete illustration of C. fernandeziana Phil. is presented for the first time.