Bambusa ventricosa

Synonyms: Leleba ventricosa (McClure) W. C. Lin; Bambusa tuldoides 'Ventricosa'.

Thai names: ไผ่น้ำเต้า (phai nam tao); ไผ่พุทธ (phai phut).

Chinese name: 佛肚竹 (fú dù zhú).

English name: Buddha's Belly Bamboo.

Distribution: THAILAND: introduced, possibly from China; in cultivation, rare. — CHINA (South): Originates from southern China, only known in cultivation. — Distributed throughout the tropics.

Culm size: Height 8–10 (16) m, diameter 3–5 (5.8) cm (if planted in the ground under favorable growth conditions).

Descriptions:

(1) "… Culms dimorphic; normal culms 8–10 m, 3–5 cm in diam., basally flexuose, apically slightly drooping; internodes 30–35 cm, basally slightly swollen, not white powdery, initially glabrous; lower nodes with rings of gray-white silky hairs below and above sheath scar; branching from 3rd or 4th node up, basal 1 or 2 nodes also with short aerial roots; branches 1–3 on lower nodes; branchlets of these sometimes condensed into weak thorns; branches several to many at mid-culm and upper nodes, with central 3 slightly longer and thicker. Abnormal culms (usual in potted plants) 25–50 cm, 1–2 cm in diam., internodes shortened and swollen at base, branch internodes also shortened and swollen; branches only on upper nodes, usually solitary, without thorns. Culm sheaths deciduous, obviously ribbed-striate, glabrous, apex nearly symmetrical, broadly arched or subtruncate; auricles unequal; larger auricle narrowly ovate to ovate-lanceolate, 5–6 mm; smaller auricle ovate, 3–5 mm; oral setae curved; ligule 0.5–1 mm, very shortly finely fimbriate; blade deciduous, erect or recurved, ovate to ovate-lanceolate, base slightly arched, narrowed, slightly narrower than sheath apex. Leaf sheath glabrous; ligule subtruncate, very short; auricles ovate or falcate; oral setae several, curved; blade linear-lanceolate to lanceolate, 9–18 × 1–2 cm, abaxially densely pubescent, adaxially glabrous … [flowers described]. Fruit unknown." — Flora of China [#1303].

(2) Flora of Taiwan [#1106].

Images: Line drawing in Flora of China [#1303]; Flora of Taiwan [#1106]. Photos in BambooWeb.info (culm sheath 1, 2, shoot, culms 1, 2, 3, culm node, habit) [#1340].

Uses: Plants as solitary garden ornamentals, mainly as potted ornamental plants.

Comments:

(1) Flowering recorded from Kunming, Yunnan Prov., China (XZC, pers. comm., WeChat, 29 Oct. 2019).

(2) Bambusa ventricosa was assumed to be conspecific with Bambusa tuldoides, but all parts of their culm leaves (sheath, ligule, auricles, blade) are noticeably distinct.

Synonyms: Bambusa ventricosa f. kimmei Muroi & Y. Tanaka ex H. Okamura & Y. Tanaka; Bambusa tuldoides 'Ventricosa Kimmei'.

Thai name: ไผ่น้ำเต้าทอง (phai nam tao thong).

Distribution: THAILAND: introduced, in cultivation, rare. — JAPAN: This cultivar originates from Japan and has been introduced into several countries.

Images: Photos in Bambooweb.info (culms) [#1340].