Chimonobambusa tumidissinoda
Chimonobambusa tumidissinoda Hsueh & T. P. Yi ex Ohrnb., Bamb. World Chimonobambusa, 1990: 45.
Synonyms: Qiongzhuea tumidinoda Hsueh & T. P. Yi, Acta Bot. Yunnan. 2 (1), 1980: 93, invalid; Qiongzhuea tumidissinoda (Hsueh & T. P. Yi ex Ohrnb.) Hsueh & T. P. Yi, Taxon 45 (2), 1996: 220.
Thai name: No known records.
Chinese name: 筇竹 (qióng zhú).
English names: Chinese Walking Stick Bamboo, Walking Stick Bamboo.
Distribution: THAILAND (North): It has been reported that this species was introduced into northern Thailand (e.g., Nan Province), but there is no evidence that it is actually being kept in cultivation. — CHINA (South): southwestern Sichuan, northeastern Yunnan, at 1,400–2,600 m altitude. — Introduced into many countries in the Americas, Europe, and elsewhere.
Descriptions:
(1) "Habit: Perennial. Rhizomes elongated; leptomorph. Culms erect; 300-600 cm long; 10-30 mm diam.; woody; without nodal roots. Culm-internodes channelled; solid; 15-25 cm long; mid-green; smooth; distally glabrous. Culm-nodes flanged; glabrous, or pubescent. Lateral branches dendroid. Branch complement three, or several; in a horizontal line; with subequal branches; thinner than stem. Culm-sheaths deciduous; chartaceous; purple; hispid; with tawny hairs; hairy on margins; without auricles; setose on shoulders; shoulders with 2-3 mm long hairs. Culm-sheath ligule 1-1.3 mm high; ciliolate. Culm-sheath blade linear; deciduous; erect; 0.5-1.7 cm long. Leaves cauline; 2-4 per branch. Leaf-sheaths 2-2.5 cm long; glabrous on surface; outer margin hairy. Leaf-sheath oral hairs scanty. Ligule an eciliate membrane; truncate, or obtuse. Collar with external ligule. Leaf-blade base with a brief petiole-like connection to sheath. Leaf-blades deciduous at the ligule; lanceolate; 5-14 cm long; 6-12 mm wide. Leaf-blade venation with 4-8 secondary veins; with distinct cross veins. Leaf-blade surface smooth, or scaberulous; rough on both sides; glabrous. … [flowers and seeds described]." — KewScience POWO, accessed 8 July 2020 [#1305].
(2) "Culms 2.5–6 m, 1–3 cm in diam.; internodes green, terete, 15–25 cm, grooved above branches, glabrous; wall thick, basal internodes nearly solid; nodes conspicuously enlarged into very prominent, raised discs. Branches (3–)5(–7) per node, subequal. Culm sheaths deciduous, oblong-elliptic, thickly papery, brown setose; auricles absent; oral setae 2–3 mm; ligule arched, 1–1.3 mm, densely gray ciliate; blade readily deciduous, erect, subulate or subulate-lanceolate, 5–17 mm, glabrous. Leaves 2–4 per ultimate branch; sheath terete, 2–2.5 cm; auricles absent; oral setae several; ligule truncate or arched, short; blade narrowly lanceolate, 5–14 × 0.6–1.2 cm, glabrous, secondary veins 2- or 4-paired, transverse veins distinct. … [flowers and seeds described]." — Flora of China, accessed 8 July 2020 [#1303].
(3) T. H. Wen, J. Amer. Bamboo Soc. 11 (1-2), 1994: p. 61 [#1176].
Images: Line drawing in Flora of China [#1303]. Photos in Rezo-Plant.com (culms).
Uses: Culms for handicrafts and making walking sticks; shoots for food; plants as garden ornamentals and for landscaping.
A prominent node of Chimonobambusa tumidissinoda aka Qiongzhuea tumidinoda — by courtesy of Lihua Jiang, Yunnan Bamboo, China
Specimens: BS-0647 [-], BS-0647-1 [SSG] (living plants), raised from seeds, received from China in 2011-2012; BS-0738 [SSG] (living plants), received from China. The seeds from FMXG, Yunnan, China, as "Qiongzhuea tumidinoda, 筇竹 (qióng zhú)"; collected 2010, not received; collected early May 2011, and received 19 May 2011 (BS-0647); collected early May 2012, and received 12 May 2012 (BS-0647-1); collected Apr. 2013, and early May 2014, but were not received.
Characteristics: Culm-nodes very prominent.
Seed viability: One month under normal atmospheric conditions; three months under storage at 1–6 °C. Seed maintenance record: J. L. Yuan & al., 2009 [#1318].
Seed weight: 10 g ≈ 20–30 humid seeds, mixed, husk-wrapped seeds, and those bare of husks.
Seed germination: (1) Seeds (BS-0647) placed in moistened coir dust at 100%, and in peat at 100%, in May 2011, atmospheric humidity >70%, coleoptiles emerged after 9 days, germination rate rather low (<20%). — (2) One batch of seeds (BS-0647-1) laid on moistened tissue paper, the other in moistened coir dust, in May 2012, 27–33 °C day, diffuse light, 22–25 °C night, atmospheric humidity 60–85%, the first coleoptiles emerged after 9 days.
Chimonobambusa tumidissinoda aka Qiongzhuea tumidinoda (BS-0647): Seeds, humid, with and without husks (top), germinating seed on peat (bottom)
Chimonobambusa tumidissinoda aka Qiongzhuea tumidinoda (BS-0647-1): Germinating de-husked seeds on tissue paper, from the May 2012 collection (top), seedlings (bottom)