Bambusa spinosa

Synonym: Bambusa blumeana Schult. f., Syst. Veg., ed. 15 bis, 7 (2), 1830: 1343.

Thai names: ไผ่สีสุก (phai si suk); ว่ามีบอ (wa-mi-bo) (Karen: Mae Hong Son). — T. Smitinand, 2001 [#1003]; BKF [#1368].

Malay name: Buloh duri.

Indonesian name: Bambu duri.

Chinese name:  刺竹 (cì zhú).

English name: Barbed Wire Bamboo.

Distribution: THAILAND, introduced in early times, naturalized and cultivated, in open areas at low elevations, often along streams, ditches, and around villages. — INDONESIA: Native to Java, Borneo (Kalimantan), Sulawesi, Moluccas, and the Lesser Sunda Islands, also cultivated; introduced and cultivated elsewhere in Indonesia. — MALAYSIA: Introduced to Peninsular Malaysia, cultivated, mainly in the north near villages and rice fields; possibly native to eastern Malesia (Borneo). — SINGAPORE: cultivated. — PHILIPPINES (South), native, possibly introduced elsewhere. — VIETNAM, introduced. — CAMBODIA, introduced. — LAOS, introduced. — CHINA (South), introduced. — TAIWAN, introduced. — BANGLADESH, introduced and cultivated. — The species has become naturalized in many countries in South-East Asia over the centuries during the process of deforestation. In Indonesia, the species grows from slightly above sea level to about 300 m altitude. — N. Bystriakova & al., Bamboo Biodiversity, 2003: map 12 (for Bambusa blumeana)[#1342].

Local distribution: In the Chiang Mai area at about 300 m altitude, frequently planted in villages and near rice fields, found naturalized along rivers and canals. Plants were seasonally offered for sale at Kham Thiang Market but were rare.

Culm size: Height 20–25 (30) m, diameter 8–12 (15) cm.

Descriptions:

(1) "Culms tall, close ranked, up to 10 cm. in diameter, young internodes glabrous, branching from all nodes from the base upwards, lower branches thorny. Culm-sheaths up to 30 cm. tall, with loose dark brown hairs on the back, blades more or less reflexed, densely hairy becoming glabrous on the back, with longitudinal rows of persistent hairs on the front, auricles fringed with stiff bristles, ligule 5 mm. tall, fringed with bristles; leaf-blades 20 x 2 cm., base broadly cuneate above the short stalk, sometimes short-hairy below, auricles small sometimes bristly, ligule short, sometimes with stiff bristles at the ends. …" — H. B. Gilliland, Revised Flora of Malaya, vol. 3, 1971: p. 18, as "Bambusa blumeana" [#1039].

(2) "Culm sheaths pale green to orange-pink; non-waxy; with dark brown hairs all over; auricles spreading lobes, 2–5 mm high, densely long-bristly on the inner surface and margins, the bristles dark brown and 4–25 mm long; ligule a low rim c. 3 mm high with pale bristles 5–6 mm long on the margin; blade broadly to narrowly lanceolate, erect at lower nodes, spreading on all sheaths at middle to upper nodes, green. Culms to 30 m tall, slightly outarched, 6–10 cm diameter; internodes 13–35 cm long, white-waxy, glabrous, green; lower branches slender, developing spines (short indurated axillary branches) at the nodes, forming an entangled thicket-like growth. Leaf: blade 6–22 cm long, 1.5–3 cm wide, glabrous; auricles tiny lobes c. 0.5 mm long with scattered bristles 1–2 mm long or glabrous; ligule a subentire rim c. 1 mm high, sometimes with a few bristles 1–2 mm long … [flowers described]." — K. M. Wong, Bamboos of Peninsular Malaysia, 1995: p. 88-90, fig. 38-40, as "Bambusa blumeana" [#1210].

(3) "… caespitose. Rhizomes short; pachymorph. Culms erect; 50–100 mm diam.; woody; with root thorns from the nodes. Culm-internodes terete; hollow; distally glabrous. Lateral branches dendroid; spreading. Buds or branches present on lower quarter of culm. Culm-sheaths 15–30 cm long; hispid; with dark brown hairs; auriculate; ciliate on shoulders. Culm-sheath ligule 5 mm high; ciliate. Culm-sheath blade ovate; narrower than sheath; reflexed; pubescent; acute. Leaf-sheath oral hairs lacking, or ciliate. Leaf-sheath auricles falcate. Ligule an eciliate membrane. Collar with external ligule. Leaf-blade base cuneate, or truncate; with a brief petiole-like connection to sheath. Leaf-blades lanceolate; 10–20 cm long; 10–20 mm wide. … [flowers and seeds described]." — Kew GrassBase, as "Bambusa blumeana" [#1335].

(4) "Culms 15–24 m, 8–15 cm in diam., apically nodding; basal internodes slightly flexuose, green, 25–35 cm, distally initially sparsely strigose, later glabrous; wall 20–30 mm thick; each node of lower culm with a ring of aerial roots or root primordia, with a gray or brown sericeous ring below and above sheath scar. Branches to base, solitary on lower nodes, with branchlets usually forming tough, sharp, curved thorns and densely interwoven. Branches 3 to several on upper nodes, central markedly longer and thicker. Culm sheaths tardily deciduous, apex broadly convex or concave, with a triangular protuberance on each shoulder, densely stiffly brown hairy; auricles usually reflexed, crescent-shaped, linear-oblong, slightly unequal; oral setae dense, pale brown, curved, long, thick; ligule 4–5 mm, laciniate, fimbriate; blade usually reflexed, ovate to narrowly ovate, abaxially strigose, adaxially densely stiffly dull brown hairy, base ca. 2/5 as wide as sheath apex, margins ciliate. Ultimate branches with 5–9 leaves; leaf blade linear-lanceolate to narrowly lanceolate, 10–20 × 1.2–2.5 cm, both surfaces scabrid, mainly subglabrous but abaxially densely villous near base. … [flowers described]. New shoots Jun–Sep, fl. spring." — Flora of China, as "Bambusa blumeana" [#1303].

(5) C. A. Roxas in S. Dransfield & E. A. Widjaja (eds.), Plant Resources of South-East Asia No. 7, Bamboos, 1995: p. 60-64, fig., as "Bambusa blumeana" [#1226].

(6) E. A. Widjaja, Spect. Indones. Bamboos, 2019: p. 64-67 [#1279].

Images: Line drawing in Flora of China [#1303]. Photos in plantjdx.com (culms, branches, habit) [#1345]; E. A. Widjaja, l.c., 2019 (habit, culm-leaf, young shoot) [#1279].

Uses: Shoots for food; culms for construction, fencing, scaffolding, saltwater-resistant fish traps, suitable for paper pulp; plants for protective screening and windbreak. Plants along boundaries serve as a living, impenetrable barrier to people and livestock.

Cultivation requirements: Easy and fast-growing; in full sun, in heavy moisture-retentive to moist soil; tolerant to floods on rivers.

Synonym: Bambusa blumeana 'Black'

Thai name: ไผ่สีสุกดำ (phai si suk dam).

Distribution: THAILAND, cultivated.

Images: Post and photos by สวนไผ่นานาพันธุ์ สวน (suan phai nana phan suan) on Facebook, 23 Jan. 2014, 23, and 9 Mar. 2021.

Characteristics: Culms dull blackish. Culm-internodes with a few narrow yellowish-green stripes.