Chimonocalamus delicatus

Thai name: No known records.

Chinese name: 五彩香竹 (wu cai xiang zhu).

English name: Five-Colored Fragrant Bamboo.

Distribution: THAILAND: Introduced, but there is no known record of whether this species has been successfully kept in cultivation in Thailand. — CHINA (South): Southern Yunnan, in evergreen broad-leaved forests on mountains at 1,400–2,000 m altitude.

Images: Photos in H. C. Tan, 2012: 47 [#1195].

Descriptions:

(1) "Habit: Perennial; caespitose. Rhizomes short; pachymorph. Culms erect; 600-800 cm long; 40-80 mm diam.; woody. Culm-internodes quadrangular (slightly); 20-30 cm long; yellow; distally glabrous. Culm-nodes glabrous. Lateral branches dendroid. Branch complement three, or several. Culm-sheaths deciduous; coriaceous; hispid; with tawny hairs; triangular at apex; without auricles; setose on shoulders. Culm-sheath ligule 3-4 mm high. Culm-sheath blade lanceolate; 5-17 cm long; 13-25 mm wide. Leaves 4-8 per branch. Leaf-sheaths glabrous on surface. Leaf-sheath oral hairs setose; 8 mm long. Leaf-sheath auricles absent. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 1 mm long; truncate. Leaf-blade base with a brief petiole-like connection to sheath. Leaf-blades linear, or lanceolate; 10-16 cm long; 6-13 mm wide. … [flowers and seeds described]". — KewScience POWO, accessed 9 July 2020 [#1305].

(2) "Culms 6–8 m, 4(–8) cm in diam.; internodes initially purple-brown, yellow when old, slightly 4-angled, 20–30 cm, initially scabrous, glabrous when old; nodes prominent, glabrous. Culm sheaths distally attenuate and triangular, longer than internode, leathery, with thick, glossy, tawny hairs, apex 2–4 cm wide, centrally strongly convex or projected, slightly projected on 2 sides; auricles tiny; oral setae several, long; ligule 3–4 mm; blade lanceolate, 5–17 × 1.3–2.5 cm. Leaves 4–8 per ultimate branch; sheaths glabrous; auricles absent or tiny; oral setae ca. 8 mm; ligule truncate, ca. 1 mm; blade linear-lanceolate, 10–16 × 0.6–1.3 cm. … [flowers described, seeds unknown]". — Flora of China, accessed 9 July 2020 [#1303].

(3) Kew Grass​Base [#1335].

Images: Line drawing in Flora of China [#1303].

Uses: Shoots and timbers are high-yielding. Shoots are used for food (slightly bitter but very delicious); culms for house construction and weaving (borer insect-resistant and durable); plants as garden ornamentals and for bonsai culture.

Cultivation requirements: Grows in part shade to full sun, sandy loam to clay loam, normal moisture-retentive to moist soil with good drainage. Frost-resistant to −7 °C.

Specimens: BS-0614 [SSG], BS-0614-2 [-], BS-0614-3 [-] (living plants), raised from seeds. The seeds from FMXG, Yunnan,  China, as "Chimonocalamus delicatus, 五彩香竹 (wǔ cǎi xiāng zhú)"; collected 2010, and received 14 Dec. 2010 (1st batch, BS-0614); collected June 2011, and received 8 May 2012 (2nd batch, BS-0614-2); collected May/June 2012, and received 25 June 2012 (3rd batch, BS-0614-3); collected May/June or Sep. 2013, were not received.

Seed viability: Three months under normal atmospheric conditions; six months under storage at 1–6 °C. — acc. FMXG.

Seed weight: 10 g ≈ 120–160 dried spikelets (husk-wrapped seeds).

Seed germination: (1) Seeds of the 1st collection (BS-0614) placed in moistened coir at 100%, in December 2011, 22–25 °C day temperature, diffuse light, 12–14 °C night temperature, atmospheric humidity >70%, coleoptiles emerged after 8 days, germination rate moderate (40–60%). — (2) Seeds of the 3rd collection (BS-0614-3) laid on moistened tissue paper, in June 2012, 27–28 °C day temperature, diffuse light, 22–24 °C night temperature, atmospheric humidity >70%, coleoptiles emerged after 7 days, germination rate moderate (40-60%), but germinating seeds turned out to be delicate and not all developed into healthy seedlings. — (3) In early July 2012, seeds were set in coir dust at 100%, some laid on the surface, others buried, germination rate low (<40%), but all seedlings looked good. — (4) On 21 and 28 August 2012, seeds were buried in coir dust at 100%, germination rate low (<40%).

Comments: The seedlings were distributed in northern Thailand, but the current locations of the cultivated plants are unknown.