Schizostachyum virgatum

Synonyms: Melo­canna virgata Munro, Trans. Linn. Soc. London 26 (1), 1868: 133; Cephalostachyum virgatum (Munro) Kurz, Prelim. Rep. For. Veg. Pegu, App. B., 1875: 94; Forest Fl. Burma ii, 1877: 565.

Thai name: ไผ่เฮียะ (phai hia) (Northern); a writing variant, ไผ่เฮี๊ยะ (phai hia), with ไม้จัตวา, can often be found in publications. — T. Smitinand, 2001 [#1003].

Chinese name: 金毛空竹 (jīn máo kōng zhú).

Distribution: THAILAND, mainly in the North, in the moist habitat of evergreen forest and in the riparian habitat of mixed deciduous forest. — BANGLADESH. — MYANMAR. — LAOS. — CHINA (South): Yunnan, on hills, 700–1,000 m altitude.

Descriptions:

(1) "… caespitose. Rhizomes short; pachymorph. Culms erect; 5–10 mm diam.; woody. Culm-internodes terete; hollow; 45–60 cm long; dark green; distally pubescent. Lateral branches dendroid. Culm-sheaths 15–20 cm long; 0.9 times as long as wide; hispid; with appressed hairs; with yellow hairs; ciliate on shoulders. Culm-sheath blade narrowly ovate; cordate; reflexed; 10–12 cm long; hispid. Leaf-sheaths keeled; striately veined. Leaf-sheath oral hairs scanty; deciduous. Leaf-sheath auricles erect. Ligule an eciliate membrane. Leaf-blade base with a brief petiole-like connection to sheath; petiole 0.5 cm long. Leaf-blades lanceolate, or oblong; 15–30 cm long; 30–40 mm wide. Leaf-blade midrib conspicuous. Leaf-blade venation with 20 secondary veins; with obscure cross veins. Leaf-blade surface scabrous; rough on both sides. Leaf-blade margins scabrous. Leaf-blade apex acuminate; antrorsely scabrous. … [flowers and seeds described]." — Kew GrassBase, as "Cephalostachyum virgatum" (accessed 11 June 2020) [#1335].

(2) "Culms erect, 12–15 m, 5–10 cm in diam.; internodes 50–88 cm, with white, appressed setae and powder, becoming smooth and glabrous; wall thin. Culm sheaths deciduous, triangular, 15–20 cm, thinly leathery to leathery, densely yellow hirsute, mouth truncate; auricles conspicuous; oral setae developed; ligule short, fimbriate; blade reflexed or erect, triangular, 10–12.5 cm, adaxially with appressed bristles. Leaf sheaths smooth; auricles inconspicuous; ligule short, fimbriate; blade oblong-lanceolate to linear-lanceolate, 15–30 × 2–4.5 cm. Pseudospikelets glomerate at tips of leafy branches, 1.5–2 cm in diam., subtended by membranous bracts. Spikelets 1.25–1.5 cm, hispidulous; rachilla smooth. Glumes ovate, long mucronate or awned; lemma ca. 1 cm, hispidulous, apiculate. Palea slightly longer than lemma, nearly glabrous, weakly 2-keeled. Lodicules lanceolate, apex ciliate. Anthers narrow, apex obtuse. Ovary ovoid, glabrous; style robust; stigmas 2 or 3, purple, plumose. Fruit unknown." — Flora of China, as "Cephalostachyum virgatum" (accessed 11 June 2020) [#1303].

Images: Photos in AsianFlora (habit) [#1332]; in Kew Herbarium 1, 2 (flowering branches) [#1333]; photos of herbarium material of Chiang Mai University in BambooWeb.info (flowering branches, culm sheath, habit; specimens from Krabi, southern Thailand, low elevation) [#1340].

Comments:

(1) Unfortunately, it has not been possible to obtain a living plant of Schizostachyum virgatum from Thailand or elsewhere by Bambusetum Baan Sammi.

(2) A widespread species in northern Thailand, commonly named Phai Hia (ไผ่เฮียะ or ไผ่เฮี๊ยะ (phai hia)) and often labeled as "Cephalostachyum virgatum" or "Schizostachyum virgatum", is most likely not this species, but a species of Schizostachyum, similar to Schizostachyum dullooa, syn. Neohouzeaua dullooa, or similar to Schizostachyum mekongensis, syn. Neohouzeaua mekongensis (→ Schizostachyum dullooa).

(3) "On the basis of papillae characters, Schizostachyum s.s. and Cephalostachyum were confirmed … Cephalostachyum virgatum and C. pergracile were confirmed to be members of Schizostachyum s.s." (H. Q. Yang, H. Wang & D. Z. Li, Comparative morphology of the foliage leaf epidermis, with emphasis on papillae characters …, Bot. J. Linnean Soc., 156(3), 2008: 411-423 [#1012]).

Specimen: BS-0732 (living plant, died), from FMXG, Yunnan, China, received as "17-Cephalostachyum virgatum -2, 金毛空竹 (jīn máo kōng zhú)", 23 Jan. 2012.

Comments: Characteristics could not be recorded because the plant died early.