Bambusa Vulgaris

Characteristics and Identification

Common name: Common Bamboo

Rhizomes:

• Sympodial (grows in dense clumps).
  
• Short and thick rhizomes that curve upwards to produce new culms which occurs on a yearly or continual basis.

Culms:

• Average height: 15-20m
• Average diameter: 4-10cm
• Culms are woody and have kneelike joints, without nodal roots.
  
• Culm internodes are cylindrical and thin-walled.

Culm-sheaths:

• Culm-sheaths shed annually at the end of the growing season, then having a dormant period without sheaths and regrowing them at the beginning of the next growing season.
  
• Culm-sheaths are covered with stiff, tough dark brown hairs.
  
• Culm-sheath is shaped like an ear-lobe and have a margin of hairlike projections on shoulders.
  
• Culm-sheath ligule (= an appendage to a plant that is shaped like a strap) is 5-8 mm high.
  
• Culm-sheath blade is broad and round at base and has a sharp point, 5-15 cm long and is covered with short hairs.

Branches:

• Lateral branches are treelike.
  
• Branch complement (= the quantity or number needed to make up a whole) three or several with one branch dominant. Branches are thinner than stem.

Leafs:

• 8-9 leaves per branch.
  
• Leaf-sheaths are covered with short hairs.
  
• Leaf-sheath oral hairs have a margin of hairlike projections.
  
• Leaf-sheath auricles are curved and tapering to a point.
  
• Leaf-blade base is broadly rounded, with a brief stalk-like connection to sheath.
  
• Leaf-blades are lance-shaped, going from a rounded base towards an apex and are 15 to 30 cm long and 18-45 mm wide.
  
• Leaf blade margins are covered with small scales that are rough to the touch.
  
• Leaf blade narrows to a sharp point and is hardened.

Flowering:

• Flowering is clustered at nodes in untidy densed clumps.
  
• Flowers are 1-3 cm long with leaflike bracts that enclose the flower cluster.
  
• Flowering is extremely rare

Uses:

• Erosion control
• Landscaping
• Light construction
• Fences
• Furniture
• Basket making
• Musical instruments
• Paper pulp
• Banana plant supports
• Young shoots are edible
• Medicinal uses; include as abortifacient, for kidney troubles, leaves used as sudorific and febrifuge agents, sap to treat fever and hematuria, tabasheer from culm internodes to treat infantile epilepsy, bark astringent and emmenagogue.

Distribution: Southeast Asia, Madagascar, Central and South America

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Sources:
GrassBase - The Online World Grass Flora
Bamboo Biodiversity in Africa, Madagascar and the Americas