New! - Search other data sources for Bambusa bambos

Help - Wrong Description?

Kew Data Sources

Kew's Herbarium Catalogue
ePIC - Electronic Plant Information Centre

External Data Sources

Note - this takes you off of our website
Use your browser's back button to return to this page

GrassBase - The Online World Grass Flora

Descriptions

W.D. Clayton, M. Vorontsova, K.T. Harman & H. Williamson

© Copyright The Board of Trustees, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

Bambusa bambos

HABIT Perennial; caespitose. Rhizomes short; pachymorph. Culms erect; 2000–3000 cm long; 100–150 mm diam.; woody; with root thorns from the nodes. Culm-internodes terete; glaucous; distally pruinose. Culm-nodes pubescent (brown). Lateral branches dendroid. Branch complement one, or two, or three; in a clump; with 1 branch dominant; thinner than stem. Culm-sheaths deciduous; glabrous. Culm-sheath ligule 1–2 mm high; ciliolate. Culm-sheath blade triangular; erect; hispid; acute. Leaf-sheaths glabrous on surface; outer margin hairy. Leaf-sheath oral hairs setose; 4–6 mm long; pale. Leaf-sheath auricles erect. Ligule an eciliate membrane. Leaf-blade base broadly rounded; with a brief petiole-like connection to sheath; petiole 0.3–0.5 cm long. Leaf-blades lanceolate; 7–18 cm long; 10–18 mm wide. Leaf-blade apex acuminate.

INFLORESCENCE Synflorescence bractiferous; clustered at the nodes; in untidy tufts; dense; with glumaceous subtending bracts; with axillary buds at base of spikelet; prophyllate below lateral spikelets; leafless between clusters.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 5–7 fertile florets; with diminished florets at the apex. Spikelets lanceolate; laterally compressed; 15–20 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Rhachilla internodes definite.

GLUMES Glumes several; 2–3 empty glumes; persistent; similar; shorter than spikelet.

FLORETS Fertile lemma ovate; 8–9 mm long; without keel; 15 -veined. Lemma margins ciliolate. Lemma apex acute; mucronate. Palea oblong; 1 length of lemma. Palea keels wingless; ciliate. Apical sterile florets resembling fertile though underdeveloped.

FLOWER Lodicules 3; obovate; membranous; veined; ciliate. Anthers 6; 4–5 mm long. Stigmas 3. Ovary umbonate.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; ellipsoid; sulcate on hilar side; 7–7.5 mm long. Embryo 0.2 length of caryopsis.

DISTRIBUTION Africa: western Indian ocean. Asia-tropical: India, Indo-China, and Malesia. South America: Mesoamericana and northern South America.

NOTES Bambuseae. =Bambusa arundinacea. Fl Costaric 1993.

Please cite this publication as detailed in How to Cite Version: 3rd February 2016.