Arundinaria appalachiana

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Arundinaria appalachiana
Arundinaria appalachiana 163426329.jpg
Status TNC G4.svg
Apparently Secure  (NatureServe) [1]
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Clade: Commelinids
Order: Poales
Family: Poaceae
Genus: Arundinaria
Species:
A. appalachiana
Binomial name
Arundinaria appalachiana
Triplett, Weakley & L.G. Clark

Arundinaria appalachiana, commonly known as hill cane, is a woody bamboo native to the Appalachian Mountains in the southeastern United States. The plant was elevated to the species level in 2006 based on new morphological and genetic information and was previously treated as a variety of Arundinaria tecta . The shortest member of its genus, hill cane ranges from 0.4–1.8 metres (1 ft 4 in – 5 ft 11 in) tall with a habit ranging from diffuse to pluri-caespitose. [2] It is one of only three temperate species of bamboo native to North America. Hill cane is common on dry to mesic sites on upland slopes, bluffs and ridges in oak-hickory forests, which distinguishes it from other species in the genus: Arundinaria gigantea typically appears along perennial streams, while Arundinaria tecta is found in swamps and other very wet areas.

Contents

Taxonomy

There has long been question to the taxonomic status of the eastern North American bamboos. Two species were originally described by Thomas Walter in 1788, namely Arundo gigantea and Arundo tecta. Since that time the phenotypic diversity of the American bamboos has led to a variety of taxonomic treatments. Until the 21st century, Floyd Alonzo McClure's 1973 survey of Arundinaria was widely considered authoritative, and included only one species, Arundinaria gigantea . [2]

Arundinaria appalachiana was first distinguished under the name Arundinaria tecta var. decidua, which was applied by C.D. Beadle in 1914 upon noticing the deciduous leaves. Beadle himself and many botanists to follow noted that hill cane may be a distinct species. During the second half of the twentieth century it became quite clear that hill cane could not be properly treated within A. tecta or A. gigantea. After cladistic genetic analysis was performed by Triplett and Clark it was determined that each of the three types of cane has a monophyletic lineage, supporting the case for three species. Morphological analysis has also supported this decision. [2]

Description

Arundinaria appalachiana is the smallest member of its genus with the culms (i.e. the above-ground stems) usually attaining heights of 0.5 to 1 metre (1.6 to 3.3 ft), though they are sometimes up to 1.8 m (5.9 ft) tall. They are also quite thin at 0.2 to 0.6 centimetres (0.079 to 0.236 in) in diameter. As with all bamboos, the culms emerge from subterranean rhizomes. In the case of hill cane, these are leptomorph, meaning they spread horizontally, but they typically do not reach very far before turning up to form a new culm. The rhizomes vary somewhat morphologically in that they sometimes have hollow centres and air canals The culms have internodes that are terete (i.e. smooth and cylindrical, but slightly tapering), while the culm sheaths are usually persistent (meaning they are not shed), but they may fall late in winter. These sheaths are 5.5 to 11 cm (2.2 to 4.3 in) in length with oral setae (i.e. bristles where the sheath meets the blade) that are very short at 1 to 4.6 millimetres (0.039 to 0.181 in). The culm blades that appear at the apex of the sheaths are much shorter than the foliage leaves and measure 0.8 to 1.4 cm (0.31 to 0.55 in) long. [3]

Arundinaria appalachiana along the Little Tennessee River Arundinaria appalachiana 147003028.jpg
Arundinaria appalachiana along the Little Tennessee River

In Arundinaria, each new culm is topped with a fan-shaped cluster of leaves called a top knot. In A. appalachiana these consist of 6 to 12 leaves that are 9 to 22.5 cm (3.5 to 8.9 in) in length by 1.4 to 2.8 cm (0.55 to 1.10 in) in width and are linear (i.e. long and narrow), lanceolate (i.e. lance-shaped; slightly wider in the middle), or ovate-lanceolate (i.e. intermediate between egg-shaped and lance-shaped). The primary branches are erect, terete and typically no longer than 35 cm (14 in) long. The bases of the primary branches contain between 2 and 5 compressed internodes and secondary branching does not occur at these basal areas. The foliage leaves are deciduous and their blades are typically 5 to 20 cm (2.0 to 7.9 in) long by 0.8 to 2 cm (0.31 to 0.79 in) wide. The blades have rounded bases and are chartaceous (i.e. paper-like). Their abaxial surfaces (i.e. undersides) show weak cross veining and are pilose (i.e. covered with fine, soft hairs) or glabrous (hairless), while the adaxial surfaces (i.e. upper sides) are always pilose. The ligules (i.e. a thin outgrowth at the meeting of the leaf and its sheath) are either glabrous or ciliate (i.e. fringed with hairs), lacerate (i.e. jagged) or fimbriate (i.e. fringed). [3]

The spikelets, the inflorescence found on all grasses, measure 3 to 5.5 cm (1.2 to 2.2 in) in length and are typically a subtle reddish-purple in colour. Each spikelet contains 5 to 8 florets. [3] Flowering is currently very poorly understood. During the research done on the plant by Triplett, Weakley and Clark when describing the species, only one flowering specimen was encountered. While flowering is rare in most bamboos, this evidence suggests that it may be even less common in hill cane. [2]

Distribution and habitat

Arundinaria appalachiana is native to the southern Appalachian Mountains and upper Piedmont of the southeastern US in the western Carolinas, southeastern Tennessee, northern Georgia and northeastern Alabama. It is found at elevations ranging from 300 to 800 metres, though sometimes up to 1065 metres. Its most typical habitat is on dry to somewhat mesic upland slopes, but it can also be found less typically in somewhat moister soils, next to spring seeps or along small streams. [2]

Related Research Articles

<i>Arundinaria</i> Genus of American bamboo, often referred to in American English as cane

Arundinaria is a genus of bamboo in the grass family the members of which are referred to generally as cane. Arundinaria is the only bamboo native to North America, with a native range from Maryland south to Florida and west to the southern Ohio Valley and Texas. Within this region Arundinaria canes are found from the Coastal Plain to medium elevations in the Appalachian Mountains.

<i>Bambusa tulda</i> Species of grass

Bambusa tulda, or Indian timber bamboo, is considered to be one of the most useful of bamboo species. It is native to the Indian subcontinent, Indochina, Tibet, and Yunnan, and naturalized in Iraq, Puerto Rico, and parts of South America.

<i>Calamagrostis stricta</i> Species of flowering plant

Calamagrostis stricta, known as slim-stem small reed grass or narrow small-reed, is a species of bunchgrass in the family Poaceae of the Holarctic Kingdom.

<i>Dendrocalamus strictus</i> Species of grass

Dendrocalamus strictus is a bamboo species belonging to the Dendrocalamus genus. The culms (stems) are often solid. Common names include male bamboo, solid bamboo, and Calcutta bamboo.

<i>Bambusa bambos</i> Species of grass

Bambusa bambos, the giant thorny bamboo, Indian thorny bamboo, spiny bamboo, or thorny bamboo is a species of clumping bamboo native to southern Asia. It is also naturalized in Seychelles, Central America, West Indies, Java, Malaysia, Maluku, and the Philippines.

<i>Arundinaria gigantea</i> Species of bamboo from North America known as giant river cane

Arundinaria gigantea is a species of bamboo known as giant cane, river cane, and giant river cane. It is endemic to the south-central and southeastern United States as far west as Oklahoma and Texas and as far north as New York. Giant river cane was economically and culturally important to indigenous people, with uses including as a vegetable and materials for construction and craft production. Arundinaria gigantea and other species of Arundinaria once grew in large colonies called canebrakes covering thousands of acres in the southeastern United States, but today these canebrakes are considered endangered ecosystems.

<i>Phyllostachys bambusoides</i> Species of plant

Phyllostachys bambusoides, commonly called madake, giant timber bamboo, or Japanese timber bamboo, is a species of flowering plant in the bamboo subfamily of the grass family Poaceae, native to China, and possibly also to Japan.

<i>Dendrocalamus hamiltonii</i> Species of grass

Dendrocalamus hamiltonii, or Hamilton's bamboo, is a species of bamboo, 12–15 cm in diameter and growing up to 15–18 m in height, found in South Asian countries such as, India, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Nepal, Pakistan, and far eastern China.

Festuca actae is a species of grass which can be found in New Zealand.

Dendrocalamus giganteus, commonly known as giant bamboo, is a giant tropical and subtropical, dense-clumping species native to Southeast Asia. It is one of the largest bamboo species in the world.

<i>Ochlandra stridula</i> Species of grass

Ochlandra stridula, the Ceylon reed-bamboo, reed bamboo or forest bamboo, is a species of bamboo in the grass family). It is endemic to Sri Lanka. It can be found extensively in Ratnapura and Kegalle districts, in waste lands of rainforest and also along stream banks and in forest gaps.

Neololeba atra, the black bamboo, is a species of tropical Asian, Australian, and Papuasian bamboos in the grass family Poaceae.

Dendrocalamus longispathus, the long-sheath bamboo, is a bamboo species which grows up to 20 m tall. It is native to Bangladesh, Myanmar, and Thailand. It has now become an exotic species all over the South Asia.

<i>Gigantochloa atter</i> Species of grass

Gigantochloa atter, the black bamboo, sweet bamboo, or giant atter, is a bamboo species belonging to the genus Gigantochloa. It grows up to 20 m tall. It is native to Island Southeast Asia, but has become naturalized all over the South Asia.

<i>Thyrsostachys siamensis</i> Bamboo species

Thyrsostachys siamensis is one of two bamboo species belonging to the genus Thyrsostachys. It grows up to 7 to 13m tall. It is native to Yunnan, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Vietnam and naturalised in Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Malaysia. The plant is also known as long-sheath bamboo, monastery bamboo, Thai bamboo, Thai umbrella bamboo, umbrella bamboo, and umbrella-handle bamboo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canebrake</span> A thicket of any of a variety of Arundinaria grasses

A canebrake or canebreak is a thicket of any of a variety of Arundinaria grasses: A. gigantea, A. tecta and A. appalachiana. As a bamboo, these giant grasses grow in thickets up to 24 feet (7.3 m) tall. A. gigantea is generally found in stream valleys and ravines throughout the southeastern United States. A. tecta is a smaller stature species found on the Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plains. Finally, A. appalachiana is found in more upland areas at the southern end of the Appalachian Mountains. Cane does not do well on sites that meet wetland classification. Instead, canebrakes are characteristic of moist lowland, floodplain areas that are not as saturated as true wetlands.

<i>Arundinaria tecta</i> Species of grass

Arundinaria tecta, or switchcane, is a bamboo species native to the Southeast United States, first studied in 1813. It serves as host to several butterfly species. The species typically occurs in palustrine wetlands, swamps, small to medium blackwater rivers, on deep peat in pocosins, and in small seepages with organic soils. The species is only known to occur in the Atlantic Plain, Gulf Coastal Plain, and Mississippi Embayment, though it was earlier thought to exist in the Piedmont and Southern Appalachians as well. Specimens from the uplands are now thought to be a separate but morphologically similar species, Arundinaria appalachiana.

<i>Chorizandra</i> Genus of grass-like plants

Chorizandra is a genus of rhizomatous sedges, encompassing six species; four of which are endemic to Australia and two to New Caledonia.

<i>Bromus nottowayanus</i> Species of grass

Bromus nottowayanus, the Nottoway Valley brome or satin brome, is a brome grass native to North America. The specific epithet nottowayanus refers to the Nottoway Valley. The grass has a diploid number of 14.

<i>Arundinaria alabamensis</i> Species of bamboo

Arundinaria alabamensis is bamboo species commonly known as Tallapoosa cane. The plant species is endemic to Alabama and is primarily found in the east-central part of the State, mainly the Piedmont Upland physiographic province. Currently, A. alabamensis is the 4th species of native bamboo in the USA.

References

  1. "Arundinaria appalachiana". NatureServe Explorer. NatureServe. Archived from the original on 2007-09-26. Retrieved 2007-07-14.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Triplett, J.K.; Weakley, A.S.; Clark, L.G. (2006), "Hill cane (Arundinaria appalachiana), a new species of bamboo (Poaceae: Bambusoideae) from the southern Appalachian Mountains" (PDF), Sida, 22 (1): 79–95, archived from the original (PDF) on 2007-09-30, retrieved 2007-07-14
  3. 1 2 3 Clark, Lynn G.; Triplett, J.K. (2006), "Arundinaria", Flora of North America, vol. 25, New York & Oxford: Oxford University Press, archived from the original on 2010-06-26, retrieved 2007-07-14