Bambusa Schreber, 1789

Ruiz-Sanchez, Eduardo, Clark, Lynn G., Londoño, Ximena, Mejía-Saulés, Teresa & Rodríguez, Gilberto Cortés, 2015, Morphological keys to the genera and species of bamboos (Poaceae: Bambusoideae) of Mexico, Phytotaxa 236 (1), pp. 1-24 : 12-13

Bambusa Schreber

Rhizomes pachymorph; culms hollow, 5–20 m tall, 5–15 cm in diameter, erect to apically arching; culm leaf sheaths well developed, pubescent, auricles present, fimbriae present or absent, oral setae absent; culm leaf blades erect, deciduous; branching intravaginal; node with one central bud developing into 1 main central branch bearing several to numerous smaller secondary branches, thorns usually absent, supra- and infranodal bands of short-soft white hairs absent; synflorescences paniculate; pseudospikelets comprising 1 subtending bract, 1 2-keeled broad prophyll, 1 gemmiparous bract, 1–3 glumes, 2 to several florets; lemmas broad, glabrous, paleas 2-keeled; lodicules 3 or 2; stamens 6; fruit a basic caryopsis. Introduced Asiatic genus ( Fig. 9A, E ).

1. Culms dark green; culm leaf sheaths abaxially pubescent with spinous-hairy, dark brown hairs; auricles slightly conspicuous; culm leaf blades with the base not rounded, more than 1/2 the width of the sheath apex; branches many, 3 dominant .............................. ........................................................................................................................................................................................... B. oldhamii

1. Culms bright green or yellow with green stripes; culm leaf sheaths abaxially hispid with stiff, appressed dark brown hairs; auricles tiny and ciliate; culm leaf blades with the base slightly rounded, 1/2 the width of the sheath apex; branches many, 1 dominant...... ............................................................................................................................................................................................ B. vulgaris

Figures

FIGURE 9. Cultived woody bamboos. A–B. Bambusa vulgaris var. vittata, yellow culms with green stripes. B. Guadua angustifolia culms. C. Phyllostachys aurea, showing ventricose basal nodes.. D. Phyllostachys bambusoides, diffuse culms. E. Bambusa oldhamii, showing glaucous culms and culm leaves. Photos by E. Ruiz-Sanchez.