Cyrtochloa fenixii

Synonym: Schizostachyum fenixii Gamble, Philipp. J. Sci., C 6, 1911: 289.

Thai name: ไผ่ฟีนิกซ์ (phai finik).

Philippine name: Puser.

English name: Fenix Bamboo.

Distribution: THAILAND (North): introduced, in cultivation, rare. — PHILIPPINES: Luzon (mainland), endemic: Cordillera region of northwestern Luzon, common in the provinces of Abra and Ilocos.

Description: "Habit: Perennial; caespitose. Rhizomes short; pachymorph. Culms erect, or scandent; drooping at the tip; 700-1000 cm long; 25-30 mm diam.; woody. Culm-internodes terete; thick-walled; 30-50 cm long; mid-green, or dark green; smooth; distally pruinose. Lateral branches dendroid. Branch complement several; with 1 branch dominant. Culm-sheaths persistent; 15 cm long; coriaceous; pilose; with tawny hairs; auriculate; with 9-20 mm wide auricles; ciliate on shoulders; shoulders with curved hairs; shoulders with 10-15 mm long hairs. Culm-sheath ligule 7-13 mm high; ciliate. Culm-sheath blade ovate; erect, or reflexed; 9-16 cm long; 23-56 mm wide; glabrous on surface; attenuate. Leaf-sheath oral hairs ciliate; 5-10 mm long. Leaf-sheath auricles falcate; 3 mm long. Ligule a ciliolate membrane. Leaf-blade base asymmetrical; with a brief petiole-like connection to sheath; petiole 0.5 cm long. Leaf-blades lanceolate; 25-30 cm long; 35-45 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface glabrous. … [flowers and seeds described]." — KewScience POWO, accessed 5 Feb. 2020 [#1305].

Images: Photo in KewScience POWO (herbarium specimen) [#1305].

Uses: Culms for handicraft, basketry, furniture; plants for soil erosion control.

Specimen: BS-0952 [C7] (living plant), from cultivated stock from the Philippines in 2019, received as "puser" from ธ. บ., 4 Feb. 2020.

Characteristics: Habit a tight clump. Culms to 4 cm in diameter. Culm-leaf sheath with tawny hairs, auriculate.

Comments:

(1) The plant is currently too small to see all of its characteristics in detail, but the recognizable characteristics point to this species, Cyrtochloa fenixii.

(2) The Philippine common name, puser, has been applied to two species: Cyrtochloa fenixii and Cyrtochloa puser. The culm-leaf sheaths of the latter species have been described as glabrous.