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— BAMBOOS OF THAILAND — ONLINE VERSION OF 1 JANUARY 2021 — LATEST UPDATE OF 21 SEPTEMBER 2025 —
Bambusa farinacea K. M. Wong, Sandakania 3, 1993: 23.
Misapplied name: Bambusa burmanica.
Thai names: ไผ่หลัก (phai lak), ไผ่พรมรอก (phai phrom rok).
Malay name: Buluh aur bukit.
Distribution: THAILAND (South): Provinces of Chumphon, Phang Nga, Surat Thani, Songkla, and possibly also in other southern provinces. — MALAYSIA (Peninsular): Kedah, Kelantan, Pahang, Selangor. — INDONESIA: Sumatra, introduced.
Descriptions:
(1) "Culm sheaths green, sometimes flushed slightly orange, white-waxy, with dark brown hairs on the back; auricle a large lobe 10–20 mm high, sometimes corrugate, bearing pale bristles 8–20 mm long on its edge; ligule a rim to 4 mm high bearing pale bristles 2–4 mm long; blade broadly triangular, erect, green. Culms to 8–10 m tall, slightly arched outwards, 3.5–7 cm diameter; internodes 20–35 cm long, white-waxy, with scattered dark brown hairs near the top, green. Leaf: blade 6–22 cm long, 1–2.5 cm wide, lower side bluish green and soft pale-hairy; auricle a lobe 2–4 mm long with pale fine bristles 2–5 mm long; ligule a subentire rim 0.5–1 mm high … [flowers described]." — K. M. Wong, Bamboos of Peninsular Malaysia, 1995: p. 90-92, fig. 41-42 [#1210].
(2) "… Rhizomes short; pachymorph. Culms arching; 800–1000 cm long; 35–70 mm diam.; woody; without nodal roots. Culm-internodes terete; thin-walled; 20–35 cm long; distally pruinose and pubescent. Lateral branches dendroid. Bud complement 1. Culm-sheaths green; hispid; with dark brown hairs; auriculate; with 10–20 mm high auricles; setose on shoulders; shoulders with 8–20 mm long hairs. Culm-sheath ligule 4 mm high; ciliate. Culm-sheath blade triangular; erect. Leaves cauline. Leaf-sheath oral hairs setose; 2–5 mm long; pale. Leaf-sheath auricles erect; 2–4 mm long. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 0.5–1 mm long. Collar with external ligule. Leaf-blade base with a brief petiole-like connection to sheath. Leaf-blades lanceolate; 6–22 cm long; 10–25 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface pubescent; hairy abaxially. Leaf-blade apex acuminate. … [flowers described]." — Kew GrassBase [#1335].
Images: Photo in K. M. Wong, Bamboo - The Amazing Grass, 2004: fig. 56 (shoot) [#1048].
Characteristics: Culm internodes copiously covered with white wax; culm sheaths white-waxy and with black hairs; culm sheath blades erect; culm sheath auricles large and bristly; foliage leaf blades pale bluish green beneath.
Comments: An unidentified Bambusa species, Thai name ไผ่หลัก (phai lak), from the rain forest of southern Thailand was described and illustrated in S. Sungkaew & al., ไผ่ในเมืองไทย (Bamboo of Thailand), 2011: 106-107 [#1180]. This species was later identified as Bambusa farinacea K. M. Wong (S. Sungkaew, pers. comm., Facebook, 14 June 2020).
Bambusa farinacea: Young shoot (BS-0392, left), young culm with culm-leaf (BS-0090, center), dried culm-leaf (BS-0392, right)
Specimen: BS-0392 [C8], living plants, southern Thailand, without precise locality, coll. ธ. ล., received as "ไผ่พรมรอก (phai phrom rok)", 15 Dec. 2009.
Characteristics: Habit caespitose, a loose clump. Rhizome pachymorph, long. Culms erect or ascending, ca. 10 m tall. Young shoots emerge in late May – October. Culm-internodes 55–60 (63) cm long, initially dark green, scattered with very short, rigid, whitish hairs throughout, and with appressed, rigid, short, black hairs sparsely on the upper section of the internode, becoming glabrous soon, becoming smooth, orange-green to pale orange with maturity; moderately thick-walled throughout, from base to top. Culm-nodes not prominent (slightly prominent on thin culms), with a farinose ring just below the sheath scar when young. Branches many, subequal, central slightly dominant, branching intravaginal, from low-culm up. Culm-leaves deciduous, rather short, 1/4 of the internode at mid-culm. Culm-leaf sheath leathery, covered with appressed, rigid black hairs, apex strongly convex-rounded. Culm-leaf auricles very large, sickle-shaped, with long, waved, pale bristles. Culm-leaf blade erect, leathery, persistent, lanceolate to triangular, glabrous. Foliage leaves (6) 9–11 (13) per branchlet. Foliage leaf sheaths light-green when young, glabrous and straw-colored when dry. Foliage-leaf auricles small or large, green to orange, with few, long, orange-colored bristles. Foliage-leaf blades medium-sized, 22–32 (36) × (2) 3–4 (5) cm, lanceolate, green to light-green, glabrous and glossy above, bluish green beneath, and slightly velvety pubescent when young, glabrous when old; base rounded to cuneate; apex attenuate; margins antrorsely scabrous; midrib proximally prominent and light green on both surfaces; pseudopetiole 3–5 mm long.
Uses: Not recorded. Especially young shoots have ornamental value, and plants can be used for gardens and landscaping. Young shoots are bitter and not used for food.
Cultivation requirements: Easy-growing; in part shade to full sun, sandy loam to clay loam, normal moisture-retentive with good drainage.
Comments: One plant of BS-0392 was sporadically flowering from Nov. 2012 for a few months. No seeds were found in the flowers, and no seedlings were found on the ground. The plant continued its vegetative growth without any harm.
Specimen: BS-0090 [-], living plant, collected by C. S. in southern Thailand, without precise locality, received 27 July 2012.
Specimen: BS-0291, living plant, received from Rimba Ilmu Botanical Garden, Malaysia, Sep. 2009.
Specimen: BS-0555, living plant, เขาแดง, Khao Daeng ["Khao Dang"], อำเภอ สะบ้าย้อย, Saba Yoi District, Songkhla, southern Thailand, coll. C. S., #3057, received as "Bambusa tulda blue", 31 May 2010.
Specimen: BS-0560, living plant, เขาแดง, Khao Daeng ["Khao Dang"], อำเภอ สะบ้าย้อย, Saba Yoi District, Songkhla, southern Thailand, coll. C. S., #3062, received as "Bambusa tulda green", 31 May 2010.
Specimen: BS-0565, living plant, "Khao Nang Hong Pang Poi", ต. ถ้ำทองหลาง (Tham Thong Lang Subdistrict), อ. ทับปุด (Thap Put District), จ. พังงา (Phang Nga Province), southern Thailand, altitude between 70 and 100 m, coll. C. S., #3069, received 2 June 2010.
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