Chusquea gigantea
Chusquea gigantea Demoly, Bambou 30, 1999: 8.
Distribution: THAILAND: Introduced, but there is no known record of whether this species has been successfully kept in cultivation in Thailand. — CHILE: Región de La Araucanía, native.
Descriptions:
(1) Demoly, Bambou Bull. A. E. B., Sect. France 30, 1999: 8.
(2) "… Rhizomes elongated. Culms erect; 600–1500 cm long; 30–50 mm diam.; woody. Culm-internodes terete; scaberulous. Lateral branches dendroid. Branch complement many; in several rows; with 1 branch dominant. Culm-sheaths red; pubescent. Leaf-blade base with a brief petiole-like connection to sheath. Leaf-blades lanceolate; herbaceous. …" — Kew GrassBase [#1335].
Images: Photos by Gib Cooper, on Facebook, 19 July 2019, and 27 Sep. 2019; bamboodirect.com on Facebook, 20 Oct. 2019.
Seed weight: 0.43 g ≈ 100 dried husk-wrapped seeds.
Seed viability: Unknown, seeds remain viable for at least 4 months and possibly several months longer.
Specimen: BS-0941 [-] (seedling, died), raised from seeds collected from cultivated flowering plants in Oregon, USA, by Gib Cooper, Tradewinds Bamboo Nursery, in July 2019 and received at Bambusetum Baan Sammi on 19 Aug. 2019. The plants' origin is from the Región de La Araucanía, Chile; plants were introduced to the USA, and possibly also to other countries (France) for cultivation in the 1990s.
Seed germination: 20 seeds were placed in moistened coir dust at 100% (and further 40 seeds in two other media), 20 Aug. 2019, with atmospheric humidity >70%, only 1 shoot emerged after 36 days, which died soon thereafter (test 190820).
Chusquea gigantea (BS-0941): Husk-wrapped seeds
Chusquea gigantea (BS-0941): 0.43 g ≈ 100 dried husk-wrapped seeds
Chusquea gigantea 'Giant Form' (BS-0946): A single germinating seed, 45th day after sowing
Chusquea gigantea 'Giant Form'
Distribution: THAILAND: Introduced, but there is no known record of whether this species has been successfully kept in cultivation in Thailand. — USA, cultivated.
Specimen: BS-0946 [-] (seedling, died), raised from seeds collected from cultivated flowering plants in Oregon, USA, by Gib Cooper, Tradewinds Bamboo Nursery, in July 2019 and received at Bambusetum Baan Sammi on 19 Aug. 2019. The plants' origin is from the Región de La Araucanía, Chile; plants were introduced to the USA, and possibly also to other countries (France) for cultivation in the 1990s.
Seed weight: 0.31 g ≈ 100 dried husk-wrapped seeds.
Seed germination: About 100 seeds were placed in moistened coir dust at 100% and on moistened tissue paper, 20 Aug. 2019, with atmospheric humidity >70%, only 1 shoot emerged after 45 days, which died soon thereafter (test 190820).
Chusquea gigantea 'Giant Form' (BS-0946): Husk-wrapped seeds
Chusquea gigantea 'Giant Form' (BS-0946): 0.31 g ≈ 100 dried husk-wrapped seeds
Chusquea gigantea 'Giant Form' (BS-0946): A single germinating seed, 45th day after sowing
Specimen: BS-0946-1 [SSG] (seedlings), raised from seeds collected from cultivated flowering plants in Oregon, USA, by Gib Cooper, Tradewinds Bamboo Nursery, in July 2019 (1st batch of seeds → BS-0946, received at Bambusetum Baan Sammi on 19 Aug. 2019) and in August 2019 (2nd batch of seeds, BS-0946-1, received at Bambusetum Baan Sammi via C. S. on 21 Dec. 2019). The plants' origin is from the Región de La Araucanía, Chile; plants were introduced to the USA, and possibly also to other countries (France) for cultivation in the 1990s.
Seed weight: 0.31 g ≈ 100 dried husk-wrapped seeds (BS-0946).
Seed germination: 2nd batch of seeds (BS-0946-1): Said to be about 100 seeds, which were placed in moistened coir dust at 100% and on moistened tissue paper, 22 Dec. 2019, atmospheric humidity >70%, the first shoot emerged on the 24th day after sowing. By the 5th of March 2020, which is the 74th day after sowing, 153 seeds have germinated, of which 2 seedlings died prior to transplanting. On the 1st and 5th of March 2020, 147 seedlings (each with 0 to 2 initial leaf blades) were transplanted. 4 seeds, still in the early stages of germination, were too weak and have not yet been transplanted. No albinos were produced, all the leaf blades are green (none are striped). (test 191222).
Comments: More than 100 of the seedlings were distributed in northern Thailand, but the current locations of the cultivated plants are unknown. About 30 seedlings remained at Bambusetum Baan Sammi, but none of them survived, probably due to the tropical climate. An attempt to gradually adapt the seedlings to the tropical climate could not be carried out because a cool house was not available.
Chusquea gigantea 'Giant Form' (BS-0946-1): Husk-wrapped seeds
Chusquea gigantea 'Giant Form' (BS-0946-1): Seedlings, 1 March 2020, 70th day after sowing (top and bottom)
Chusquea gigantea 'Giant Form' (BS-0946-1): Seedlings, 1 March 2020, 70th day after sowing
Chusquea gigantea 'Giant Form' (BS-0946-1): Each seedling transplanted into a PVC seedling tray, 5 March 2020 (top and bottom)