BAMBUSA NGHIANA

Description

From Bamboos of Thailand, Native and Introduced Species (Poaceae: Bambusoideae) — An Annotated Compilation, by D. Ohrnberger (Khun Dieter – คุณดีเท่อร์)

(1) "Woody bamboo, rhizomes pachymorph, short-necked. Culm erect, plain color, green when young maturing to yellow, 13-15 m tall, 7-10 cm in diameter. Culm internode terete, basal internode covered with appressed pale hairs with a consistent narrow ring of dense appressed hairs at each node, with a slight white-waxy bloom just above, 60-80 cm long, or up to c. 100 cm long; wall thin, often less than 9 mm thick. Branches usually absent on lower culm, branches at mid-culm with the primary axis dominant in size with 2 or several higher-order subequal branches from its base. Culm sheaths on mature culm 25-35 cm long, pale green, infused with white green or yellow green at the top and dense black hairs at the base; basal part at the sheath insertion with a 2-3 mm long, narrow ring-like band of dense dark brown hairs 2-3 mm long; blade 5-8 cm long, broad triangular, erect, not tightly appressed against the next sheath or internode[,] green, with a slight white-waxy bloom on abaxial side, with 1-2 cm long pale brown bristles at the base of the margins; auricles 7-10 mm high, protruding, 1-2 cm long and slightly upcurved at the end, purplish brown with sinuous bristles on the edge 5-10 mm long, ligule a leathery low subentire rim 2-2.5 cm high with narrow triangular margin teeth. Leaves 18-20 × 2.9-3 cm, green on the adaxial side and white green on the abaxial side, glabrous on both surface; auricles with a conspicuous laterally spreading narrow lobe 0.5-1 mm high and 1-2 mm long, upcurved at the end, margins with spreading bristles 1-2 cm long; ligule inconspicuous; sheath glabrous. … [flowers and seeds described]". — V. T. Tran, in Adansonia 43 (19), 2021: p. 217-221 [#1371].

Origin

THAILAND (East): Provinces of Prachin Buri and Trat, common along streams in dry evergreen forests at low altitudes, in evergreen forests at ca. 165 m altitude, and along roads and forest edges at ca. 700 m altitude; cf. W. Arthan & al., in Kew Bulletin, 2023 [#1396]. Also recorded from the central and eastern provinces of Prachin Buri, Sa Kaeo, Chantha­buri, Rayong, and Trat as wild (acc. to Mu Chakkrapong on Facebook, 19 Sep. 2017), and from Nakhon Nayok, wild, in forests (acc. to Mu Chakkrapong on Facebook, 2 Oct. 2021, and pers. comm., Facebook, 2 Oct. 2021). — VIETNAM (Northern): Quan Sơn District of Thanh Hóa Province: along roads and forest edges.

Uses

Locally in Vietnam: Shoots for food, culms for house construction and handicrafts. Locally in Thailand: Shoots edible, and said to be eaten by locals; culms for woven bamboo hats (Mu Chakkrapong, l.c.) and other handicrafts.

Cultivation

Easy-growing, thrives well in heavy, moist soil with good drainage, and in partial shade.

References

Bibliography of Bamboos of Thailand