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 10-25 m tall. It is native to Bangladesh, Myanmar, India, and Thailand.[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
Culms are greenish when young, but becomes straw-colored when mature or brownish green when drying. Young culms are covered with stiff, silver hairs. A white bloom occurs just below the nodes. Young shoots are yellowish brown. The culms are straight; branching occurs from the base, and branches are many, short, loose, and open. Internode length is 25-50 cm, and diameter is 1.5-15 cm. Culm walls are thin. Nodes are prominent.
Culm sheaths are greenish in young plants, and turn brown when mature. The sheath proper is 7-15 cm long and 2.5-15 cm wide. Blade length is 10-30 cm. The auricles are equal. The upper surface of the sheath is covered with white hairs or may not. The lower surface of the sheath is not hairy. Sheaths do not fall off, only blades fall off.