Vietnamosasa ciliata
Vietnamosasa ciliata (A. Camus) T. Q. Nguyen, Bot. Zhurn. (Moscow & Leningrad) 75 (2), 1990: 222.
Synonyms: Arundinaria ciliata A. Camus, Bull. Mus. Natl. Hist. Nat. 25, 1919: 672; Oreiostachys ciliata (A. Camus) Nakai, J. Arnold Arbor. 6, 1925: 152; Racemobambos ciliata (A. Camus) C. S. Chao & Renvoize, Kew Bull. 44 (2), 1989: 365; Neomicrocalamus ciliatus (A. Camus) Demoly, Bambou 21, 1995: 14.
Type: Cambodia, Compong Thom, Pierre 6659 (lectotype); cf. T. Haevermans & al., Phytotaxa 137(1): 58, 2013 [#1365].
Thai names: โจด (chot); โชด (chot); หญ้าหัวแข็ง (ya hua khaeng); ไผ่หางกระรอก (phai hang krarok). — T. Smitinand, 2001 [#1003].
Distribution: THAILAND (North-East), in dry dipterocarp forests, adapted to a dry climate and annual burning. — CAMBODIA. — LAOS. — VIETNAM.
Culm size: Height 1–4 (5) m, diameter 1–2 cm.
Description: "… Rhizomes elongated; leptomorph. Culms woody. Culm-internodes terete. Lateral branches dendroid. Branch complement many. Leaf-sheaths striately veined; pubescent. Leaf-sheath oral hairs ciliate; 5–7 mm long. Ligule an eciliate membrane. Leaf-blade base with a brief petiole-like connection to sheath. Leaf-blades lanceolate; 8–12 cm long; 8–10 mm wide; stiff; light green. Leaf-blade midrib conspicuous. Leaf-blade venation with 10 secondary veins; with distinct cross veins. Leaf-blade surface pilose; sparsely hairy; hairy abaxially. Leaf-blade margins scaberulous. Leaf-blade apex attenuate. … [flowers and seeds described]". — Kew GrassBase [#1335].
Images: Photos in Bambooweb.info [#1340].
Specimen: BS-0926 (seeds), from Thailand, without precise locality, the flowering plant is unknown, seeds received 23 Feb. and 15 June 2018.
Seed viability: Unknown, the seeds remain viable at least for several months.
Seed weight: 9 dried spikelets (husk-wrapped seeds) weigh 0.35 g.
Seed germination: 5 seeds placed on moistened tissue paper, 24 Feb. 2018, atmospheric humidity >70%. From each caryopsis, the radicula emerged as early as on the 2nd day, the shoot on the 3rd day after sowing (100%) (test 180224).
Vietnamosasa ciliata (?) (BS-0926): Seeds
Vietnamosasa ciliata (?) (BS-0926): Seeds sown 24 Feb. 2018, germinating on tissue paper, 5th day
Specimens: BT099 [BBG] (living plant), Ubon Ratchathani Province, north-eastern Thailand, wild, coll. by ธ. บ., Nov. 2017, plants received at Hang Dong in 2018, started flowering in Jan. 2019. BS-0942 [CS] (seeds), collected by ธ. บ. from cultivated flowering plant BT099 at Boonthammee Bamboo Garden, Hang Dong, Chiang Mai, collected in Feb. 2019, some of them were received at Baan Sammi on 17 June 2019; further seeds were collected by ธ. บ. between February and June 2019, and all germinated for propagation at Boonthammee Bamboo Garden.
Seed viability: Unknown, the seeds remain viable at least for several months.
Seed germination: not recorded.
Images: Post with photos of the plant (habit) by Thammarat Boonthammee, on Facebook, 4 Dec. 2017, as "Vietnamosasa sp. 'Siam Lucky Bamboo' BT [099] … ไผ่ช่อสวรรค์", and post with photos (flowering branches) on Facebook, 16 Feb. 2018.
Characteristics: Habit dense pluri-caespitose. Rhizome leptomorph, usually grows about 50 cm deep underground. Culms straight, erect, slightly bending outwards above, height 3–5 m, diameter 1–2 cm. Young shoots purple or purplish-tinged, edible. Branches many, short, upright.
Comments:
(1) Whether this plant represents Vietnamosasa ciliata or another species of this genus has not yet been investigated. Unlike Vietnamosasa ciliata, this plant does not grow bushy but erect with upright branches, and the young shoots are edible and only slightly bitter.
(2) When taken into cultivation, this bamboo was given a cultivar name (to keep it separate from common Vietnamosasa ciliata): 'Siam Lucky Bamboo', ไผ่ช่อสวรรค์ (phai cho sawan), cho = panicle, sawan = paradise.
(3) This plant from Ubon started flowering in Thammarat Boonthammee's garden in January 2019 and continued flowering until the end of July 2019. Seeds were developed from February until June 2019. In July 2019, the flowering plant was still alive, and the branches had some foliage-leaves.
Vietnamosasa ciliata (?) (BT099): Plant in its natural habitat of Ubon, 2017 (left), a flowering branch of the plant under cultivation at Boonthammee Bamboo Garden, Hang Dong, Chiang Mai, 2018 (right) — by courtesy of คุณธรรมรัตน์ บุญธรรมมี Thammarat Boonthammee, สวนไผ่บุญธรรมมี Boonthammee Bamboo Garden
Vietnamosasa ciliata (?) (BS-0942): A single seed (caryopsis), bare of husks.
Vietnamosasa ciliata (?) (BS-0942): Seeds sown 17 June 2019, seedlings 6 weeks thereafter