Bambusa sp. (CN: Yunnan)

Specimen: BS-0008 [N2] (living plant), received as "薄竹 (bo zhu) Leptocanna chinensis" from FMXG, Yunnan, China, 21 July 2011.

Characteristics: Rhizome pachymorph, necks not or very little elongated, forming a clumping plant habit. Culms straight, erect or slanted, bending outwards above. Young shoots emerge from late February to September. Branches several, the central one dominant and long. Culm-leaves persistent. Culm-leaf sheath covered with short black hairs when dry, margins eciliate(?), apex rounded. Culm-leaf auricles large, with oral setae. Culm-leaf ligule short, entire. Culm-leaf blade erect, glabrous, broad triangular-lanceolate; apex attenuate; the base as broad as the sheath apex; length of the blade about 3/4 of the sheath length, persistent to the sheath. Foliage-leaves about 15 per branchlet, occasionally a little more than 20. Foliage-leaf auricles and long pale oral setae present. Foliage-leaf blades narrowly lanceolate, soft, smooth, green and glabrous above, bluish-green and puberulent beneath; midvein proximally prominent on both surfaces, side-veins numerous, without visible cross-veins; pseudopetiole very short, 1 mm long or less, blade base almost sessile on small branchlets.

Comments: The generic assignment of this bamboo, BS-0008, as Bambusa is questionable. The living plant was received from China as "Leptocanna chinensis". Photos of the living plant in Yunnan, China, named Leptocanna chinensis are available, and there is no doubt that the plant received was from that source. Photos of the inflorescence collected in China and attributed to this species are also available. The inflorescence resembles Schizostachyum, not Bambusa. Leptocanna chinensis (Rendle) L. C. Chia & H. L. Fung, Acta Phytotax. Sin. 19: 213 (1981) is considered a synonym of Cephalostachyum chinense (Rendle) D. Z. Li & H. Q. Yang, Ann. Bot. Fenn. 44: 156 (2007), with basionym Schizostachyum chinense Rendle, J. Linn. Soc., Bot. 36: 448 (1904) (KewScience WCSP, accessed 26 Nov. 2019 [#1285]). However, in Kew GrassBase (accessed 26 Nov. 2019 [#1335]), this species is listed under Schizostachyum. Based on a molecular study in 2007, it was suggested by H. Q. Yang, S. Peng & D. Z. Li [#1013], that Leptocanna chinensis should be transferred to Cephalostachyum. The overall appearance of BS-0008 may resemble Cephalostachyum, not Schizostachyum, but the presence of auricles and a dominant branch suggests Bambusa, not Schizostachyum. Striking are the many, long and slender leaf blades per branchlet. In the Flora of China (accessed 26 Nov. 2019 [#1303]), the species is listed under Cephalostachyum, but unaccompanied by a description, which can be found under Schizostachyum chinense, along with a line drawing. From both, the description and line drawing, it becomes evident that BS-0008 is a different species.