Chusquea culeou

Chusquea culeou
Colehual, colihues' bush in San Fabián de Alico.
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Monocots
(unranked): Commelinids
Order: Poales
Family: Poaceae
Subfamily: Bambusoideae
Genus: Chusquea
Species: C. culeou
Binomial name
Chusquea culeou
Desvaux.

Chusquea culeou (Spanish: caña coligüe or colihue) is a gramineae perennial bush of the bamboo subfamilly that grows in the humid temperate forests of Chile and southwestern Argentina.

Its hairy lanceolate leaves have a spine on their end, and its flower is a whisk of light brown colour. The plant also produces a caryopsis fruit. After blooming and releasing its seeds, the plant dies. The cane is straight, of up to 6 metres in height, and was used by the Aboriginals for the pole of their spears. They are still used by the Mapuche people for a musical instrument known as trutruca.

A particularity of this Chusquea is that its wood is solid, differentiating from most of the bamboosoids, with hollow interiors.

External links