Melocanna baccifera
| Chittagong Forest Bamboo | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Monocots |
| (unranked): | Commelinids |
| Order: | Poales |
| Family: | Poaceae |
| Tribe: | Bambuseae |
| Genus: | Melocanna |
| Species: | M. baccifera |
| Binomial name | |
| Melocanna baccifera (Roxb.) Kurz | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
| |
The Chittagong Forest Bamboo, (Melocanna baccifera), is one of two bamboo species belonging to the Melocanna genus. It grows up to 10-25m tall. It is native to Bangladesh, Myanmar, India and Thailand. It has now become a popular exotic species all over. [2][3]
Habit
It is tall small culmed bamboo with greenish young culms and straw colored old culms. It grows in clumps composed of many well spaced culms. It has a dense appearance due to its branching habit.
Appearance
Culm is greenish when young, which becomes straw colored when mature turns brownish green when drying. Young culms are covered with stiff silver hairs. There is a white bloom just below the nodes. Young shoots yellowish brown. Culm is straight. Branching occurs from the base, and branches are many, short, loose and open. Internode length is 25-50cm, and diameter is 1.5-15cm. Culm walls are thin. Nodes prominent.
Culm sheath is greenish in young plants turns brown when mature. It is small and narrow. Length of the sheath proper is 7-15cm in length and 2.5-15cm wide. Blade length is 10-30cm. Auricles equal. Upper surface of the sheath covered with white hairs or may not. Lower surface of the sheath is not hairy. Sheaths do not fall off, only blades fall off.