Bambusa blumeana | |
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B. blumeana leaves | |
Thorny bamboo: B. blumeana habit | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Monocots |
Clade: | Commelinids |
Order: | Poales |
Family: | Poaceae |
Genus: | Bambusa |
Species: | B. blumeana |
Binomial name | |
Bambusa blumeana | |
Synonyms | |
Schizostachyum durie Rupr. Contents |
Bambusa blumeana, [1] also known as spiny bamboo or thorny bamboo, is a species of clumping bamboo occurring in Tropical Asia. [2] [3] [4]
This bamboo is known locally as: kawayang tinik in the Philippines, buluh duri in Malay and tre gai or tre lá ngắn in Vietnam. [5]
Culms (stems) of Bambusa blumeana are up to 25 m (82 ft) long and slightly arched. At the base they are up to 15 cm (6 in) thick with walls 2 to 3 cm (0.8 to 1.2 in) thick, or may be solid. The stem consists of a number of short sections separated by nodes. The main branches are borne on the upper half of the culms, those on the lower part being slender and armed with thorns. The leaves are alternate, lanceolate, and up to 20 cm (8 in) long, and one grows from each node, with the lower part of the leaf sheathing the stem. [6]
Where Bambusa blumeana originated is unclear, but it may have been native to Indonesia and Borneo. Its range now includes the Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, southern China and Japan. It has also been introduced to Madagascar, Guam, and some other Indo-Pacific islands. Its natural habitat is hillsides, valley bottoms and stream banks, where it forms tangled thickets, at altitudes up to about 300 m (1,000 ft). It tolerates acid soils, clay and occasional flooding, but not saline soils. [5]
Young shoots of Bambusa blumeana are boiled and eaten as a vegetable, being harvested when they first emerge from the ground. The plant is used as a living fence between fields, as a windbreak around homesteads and to prevent erosion on river banks. The poles are useful as a lightweight scaffolding but are not durable enough for building construction; other uses include basket-making, furniture manufacture, parquet, toys, chopsticks and kitchen utensils. [7] The culms of this bamboo, along with those of Dendrocalamus asper , are the main source of bamboo pulp used to make paper. [8]
Bambusa blumeana is sometimes cultivated as an ornamental plant. Propagation can be from seed, but the plant only flowers once every few years, so seed is often unavailable. Clumps can be divided when new growth is commencing, or culms can be cut into sections and used as cuttings. [9]
Bamboos are a diverse group of evergreen perennial flowering plants in the subfamily Bambusoideae of the grass family Poaceae. The origin of the word "bamboo" is uncertain, but it probably comes from the Dutch or Portuguese language, which originally borrowed it from Malay or Kannada.
Bambusa is a large genus of clumping bamboos. Most species of Bambusa are rather large, with numerous branches emerging from the nodes, and one or two much larger than the rest. The branches can be as long as 11 m (35 ft).
Arundina graminifolia is a species of orchid and the sole accepted species of the genus Arundina. This tropical Asiatic genus extends from Myanmar, India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Thailand, Vietnam, the Ryukyu Islands, Malaysia, Singapore, China to Indonesia, the Philippines and New Guinea. It has become naturalized in Réunion, Fiji, French Polynesia, Micronesia, the West Indies, Costa Rica, Panama and Hawaii. It is also called bamboo orchid.
Oreobambos buchwaldii is the sole representative of Oreobambos, a monotypic African genus of bamboo, most closely related to the large genus Bambusa from tropical Asia and America. It is large and perennial with arching stems up to 20 m. high, growing in isolated clumps, in forest clearings and swamp forest, and along streams, at altitudes of 300–2000 m. It occurs along the tropical east of Africa in eastern DR Congo, Burundi, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Mozambique, Malawi, Zimbabwe and Zambia. This is one of only a handful of indigenous African bamboos.
Guadua is a Neotropical genus of thorny, clumping bamboo in the grass family, ranging from moderate to very large species.
Schizostachyum is a tall or shrub-like tropical genus of bamboo. They are natives mostly of tropical Asia and Papuasia, with a few species in Madagascar and on certain islands in the Pacific. A few have become naturalized in other tropical regions.
Bambusa vulgaris, common bamboo, is an open-clump type bamboo species. It is native to Indochina and to the province of Yunnan in southern China, but it has been widely cultivated in many other places and has become naturalized in several regions. Among bamboo species, it is one of the largest and most easily recognized.
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.
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.
Bamboo shoots or bamboo sprouts are the edible shoots of many bamboo species including Bambusa vulgaris and Phyllostachys edulis. They are used as vegetables in numerous Asian dishes and broths. They are sold in various processed shapes, and are available in fresh, dried, and canned versions.
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.
Bambusa chungii, commonly known as white bamboo or tropical blue bamboo, is a large, tall bamboo species, often found in Hong Kong, and originating in southern China and Vietnam. Its blue-green or white culms often reach a height of 10 m.
Dendrocalamus asper, also known as giant bamboo, or dragon bamboo, is a giant tropical, dense-clumping species native to Southeast Asia. Due to its common occurrence across Asia and its attractive features as well as ease of harvesting, this species has been introduced widely across Latin America and Africa. It is a sympodial or clumping bamboo that does not show lateral growth and therefore has no invasive properties.
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.
Neololeba atra, the black bamboo, is a species of tropical Asian, Australian, and Papuasian genus of bamboos in the grass family.
Bambusa polymorpha, or Burmese bamboo, is a species of clumping bamboo native to Bangladesh, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Java, Cuba, Puerto Rico, and Ecuador.
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.
Bambusa aurinuda is a species of Bambusa bamboo.
Bambusa barpatharica is a species of Bambusa bamboo.
Bambusa textilis, also known as slender bamboo, clumping bamboo and weaver's bamboo, is a species of bamboo in the Poaceae (grasses) family that is native to China. The subspecies var. gracilis is heavily cultivated in Australia.