Dinochloa macclellandii

Dinochloa macclellandii (Munro) Kurz, J. Asiat. Soc. Bengal, Pt. 2, Nat. Hist. 42 (4), 1873 [publ. 1874]: 253, "Maclellandi".

    • Synonyms: Bambusa macclellandii Munro, Trans. Linn. Soc. London 26 (1), 1868: 114 "M'Clellandi", 154 "MacClellandi"; Melocalamus macclellandii (Munro) H. B. Naithani, Indian Forester 125 (11), 1999: 1135.

    • Thai name: ไผ่เลื้อย (phai lueai) (Northern). — T. Smitinand, 2001 [#1003]; BKF [#1368].

    • Burmese name: Wanwe wa.

    • Distribution: THAILAND: no known records, but the species is assumed to occur also in the provinces of Tak, Kanchanaburi, Chumphon, and Ranong of western and southern Thailand (Classification of Bamboo, 2012 [#1223]). — MYANMAR: Mon State. — BANGLADESH. — INDIA (North-East, East): Assam and West Bengal, mainly in tropical lowland rain forests where ample water is available throughout the year.

    • Culm size: Length 20–30 m, diameter 2.5–3 (5) cm.

    • Descriptions:

    • (1) "An evergreen, lofty, often scandent bamboo. Culms upto 30 m long, if climbing, shorter and straggling if growing unsupported, 2.5-3 cm diameter, geniculate, covered by persistent loose sheaths, gray-green, walls thin; nodes swollen; internodes 15-20 cm long, often angled when young, scabrous with brown appressed hairs. Culm-sheaths cylindrical, leathery, persistent, 15-23 cm long, and 17-22 cm broad at the base, 5-7 cm wide at the top, covered with densely appressed golden-brown pubescence, ending above in a narrow dark glabrous margin edging the whole of the truncate top outside the base of the imperfect blade; imperfect blade lanceolate-acuminate, unequal at the base, rounded into a short thick petiole upto 1.2 cm long, ending in an acuminate setaceous scabrous twisted tip; leaf-sheath striate, transversely veined, produced at the mouth into a naked rounded auricle, keeled at the back, appressed hairy when young, afterwards glabrous; ligule often broad, entire or serrate. …" — K. K. Seethalakshmi & al., Bamboos of India, 1998: p. 147 [#1062].

    • (2) "An evergreen, densely clumped, lofty, scandent bamboo. Culms ca 10 m long, 3-8 cm in diameter (up to 30 m long, 2.5-3 cm in diameter when climbing in wild habitat), straggling if growing unsupported, covered by persistent loose sheaths, gray-green; nodes swollen, oblique; internodes curved, zigzag, 10-25 cm long, uneven in lower part, brown appressed pubescent with powdery mass; bud oval. Culm-sheaths, leathery, persistent; sheath proper 15-25 cm long, 14-20 cm broad at the base, covered with densely appressed dark-brown pubescence on outer surface, margins ciliate; imperfect blade recurved or spreading, lanceolate-acuminate, densely brown hairy within; ligule, dentate, glabrous; auricles similar, like a rim, glabrous. Leaves 6-8 per twig; leaf-blades broad-lanceaolate, glabrous, faint cross veins observed; leaf-sheath white hairy, afterwards nearly glabrous; ligule obliquely truncate, ciliate at mouth, glabrous; auricle short, rounded, erect, glabrous, often seen on one side only." — A. J. C. Bose, Bamboos (brochure), IBG Howrah, Kolkata, 2013: p. 29 [#1260].

    • (3) "… Rhizomes short; pachymorph. Culms scandent; zigzag; 3000 cm long; 25–50 mm diam.; woody. Culm-internodes terete; thin-walled; 15–20 cm long; antrorsely scabrous; distally hispid. Culm-nodes swollen. Lateral branches dendroid. Branch complement several; with 1 branch dominant; as thick as stem. Culm-sheaths persistent; 15–22 cm long; 1 times as long as wide; coriaceous; pubescent; hairy throughout; with appressed hairs; with tawny hairs; truncate at apex. Culm-sheath ligule 0.5 mm high; entire, or dentate. Culm-sheath blade narrowly ovate; spreading, or reflexed; 15–30 cm long; 25–60 mm wide; pubescent. Leaf-sheaths keeled; striately veined; glabrous on surface, or pubescent. Leaf-sheath oral hairs scanty. Leaf-sheath auricles falcate. Ligule an eciliate membrane; entire, or erose. Leaf-blade base with a brief petiole-like connection to sheath; petiole 0.5 cm long. Leaf-blades oblong; 15–45 cm long; 25–100 mm wide. Leaf-blade midrib conspicuous. Leaf-blade venation with 20–36 secondary veins; with distinct cross veins. Leaf-blade apex acuminate; filiform. …" — Kew GrassBase [#1335].

    • Images: Line drawing in J. S. Gamble, Bambuseae Brit. India: 1896, pl. 99 [#1230]. Line drawing in K. K. Seethalakshmi & al., Bamboos of India, 1998: fig. 44, p. 147 [#1062]. Photos in A. J. C. Bose, Bamboos (brochure), IBG Howrah, Kolkata, 2013: p. 29 fig. A-E (habit, culms, node) [#1260].

    • Uses: Culms for basketry.

    • Flowering and seeding: Flowering in Assam in 1968 was reported.