BAMBUSA BURMANICA

Description

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

Bambusa burmanica from Myanmar is recorded to be a tall species, "considerably larger than Bambusa tulda" (Gamble, 1896: 36). The plants in northern Thailand claimed to be Bambusa burmanica (represented by specimens BS-0031 and BS-0203, and by further specimens collected from the wild) do not reach the height of Bambusa tulda.

Height 15–20 m, diameter 8–12 cm.

Habit caespitose, tight clumping, forming impenetrable thicket by lower branching. Rhizome pachymorph, short. Culms erect, often not straight, height 9–11 m, slightly bending outwards above. Young shoots in a blend of green with red, with the upper part of culm sheath blades dark reddish, but shoots often uniform green and light farinose, thus appearing bluish-green; emerging from mid-April. Culm-internodes terete, dull or olive green when young, brownish-green when mature, covered with minute white hairs when young, rough and almost glabrous when mature, (30) 35–48 (57) cm long, (3) 3.5–4 (4.5) cm in diameter, thick-walled, solid or nearly so on basal culm (see table on culm wall thickness). Culm-nodes slightly prominent above sheath scar; sheath scar about to 1 mm marginally protruding, with soft short brown hairs; with a greenish-white band of appressed soft hairs below and above sheath scar when young; supranodal line without a ridge, 10–15 mm above the nodal line. Branch-buds solitary, usually broad and large, 3.5–4 × 2–2.3 cm, from basal node up; basal nodes usually without aerial roots but may easily develop on basal and lower nodes on disturbed or damaged culms. Branches several, from basal nodes up, central branch slightly dominant, 2 subdominant and several smaller branches; branching extravaginal (with culm-leaves persistent) on basal and lower branches, often unbranched (with culm-leaf persistent or late deciduous) on lower and mid-culm, and branching intravaginal (with culm-leaves deciduous) on upper culm; rebranching. Culm-leaves (late) deciduous or persistent. Culm-leaf sheaths thickly papery, rigid, brittle, dull or olive green to reddish brown when young, straw-colored when dry, glabrous on the middle part of the sheath, but often with short rigid bright brown to dark brown early caducous hairs on both sides of the sheath, 11–14 cm wide at the base, 16–20 cm long, about one third as long as the internode; margins pale ciliolate when young, or eciliate; apex asymmetrically rounded. Culm-leaf auricles lobe-like, erect, brown when young, straw-colored when dry, very large, of unequal size and shape, connected to both sheath and blade, one auricle connected with blade for about 1 mm, the other for about 0.5–1 cm, both auricles usually persistent to sheath but not to the caducous blade, often one or both auricles wrinkled; initially with pale, slightly waved, soon caducous short bristles. Culm-leaf ligule short, 0.5–1 mm high, denticulate. Culm-leaf blade erect, papery, late caducous or persistent, greenish on the lower part, shading to dark reddish towards apex when young, sometimes light green striped, glabrous, large, broadly triangular-lanceolate; base cordately rounded, as wide as sheath apex, partly overlapping the auricles, half as long as sheath; apex attenuate. Foliage-leaves 6–8 per branchlet. Foliage-leaf sheath dull orange and towards apex reddish when young, straw-colored when dry, initially pale hirsute, becoming glabrous early. Foliage-leaf auricles inconspicuous lobes, green or reddish when young, with a few pale erect, slightly waved bristles, 2–6 mm long. Foliage-leaf ligule inconspicuous, low, entire or subentire. Foliage-leaf blades small, linear-lanceolate to lanceolate, usually 7–13 (18) cm long and 0.9–1.5 (2.1) cm wide, mid-green above, glabrous on both surfaces, puberulous beneath when young, pale bluish green beneath, with a narrow stripe along one margin green and almost glossy; base rounded to wedge-shaped; apex attenuate; margins antrorsely scabrous; midrib proximally somewhat prominent beneath; pseudopetiole 1–2 mm long.

Origin

THAILAND (North, North-East), wild, in mixed deciduous forest, and in cultivation. — MALAYSIA. — MYANMAR. — INDIA (North-East). — CHINA (South): Yunnan.

Uses

Shoots for food, young culm shoots, and branch shoots can be eaten raw; culms for firewood.

Cultivation

Easy growing, thrives well in heavy moist soil with good drainage, exposed to full sun.

References

Bibliography of Bamboos of Thailand