Gigantochloa atter
Gigantochloa atter (Hassk.) Kurz ex Munro, Trans. Linn. Soc. London 26 (1), 1868: 125.
Synonym: Bambusa thouarsii var. atter Hassk.
Thai name: No known records.
Indonesian name: bambu ater; Javanese name: pring jawa.
English names: Parring Bamboo; Giant Atter.
Distribution: THAILAND: Introduced, in cultivation. — INDONESIA: origin unknown, in Java only known in cultivation, known wild from other islands; usually planted in lowlands, but occurs up to 1,400 m altitude. — MALAYSIA (Peninsular and Borneo), in cultivation. — BRUNEI, in cultivation. — PHILIPPINES, in cultivation.
Culm size: Height 15–22 m, diameter 5–10 cm.
Descriptions:
(1) "Habit: Perennial; caespitose; clumped densely. Rhizomes short; pachymorph. Culms erect; 1500–2200 cm long; 50–100 mm diam.; woody; with aerial roots from the nodes. Culm-internodes terete; hollow; 40–50 cm long; light green; distally hispid. Lateral branches dendroid. Culm-sheaths deciduous; 21–36 cm long; hispid; with black hairs; truncate at apex; auriculate; with 3–7 mm high auricles; ciliate on shoulders; shoulders with 4–6 mm long hairs. Culm-sheath ligule 3–6 mm high; dentate. Culm-sheath blade narrowly ovate; deciduous; reflexed. Leaf-sheath auricles erect; 1 mm long. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 2 mm long. Collar with external ligule. Leaf-blade base with a brief petiole-like connection to sheath; petiole 0.3–0.5 cm long. Leaf-blades lanceolate, or oblong; 20–44 cm long; 30–90 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface glabrous. … [flowers and seeds described]." — Kew GrassBase, accessed 13 Aug. 2020 [#1335].
(2) K. K. Seethalakshmi & al., Bamboos of India, 1998: p. 158 [#1062].
(3) M. A. Rifai in S. Dransfield & E. A. Widjaja (eds.), Plant Resources of South-East Asia No. 7, Bamboos, 1995: p. 104-106, fig. [#1226].
(4) E. A. Widjaja, Revis. Malesian Gigantochloa, 1987: p. 316ff., fig. 6-9 [#1224].
(5) E. A. Widjaja, Spect. Indones. Bamboos, 2019: p. 84-87 [#1279].
Images: Line drawing in K. K. Seethalakshmi & al., Bamboos of India, 1998: fig. 49, p. 158 [#1062]. Photos in BambooWeb.info [#1340]; E. A. Widjaja, l.c., 2019 (habit, culm, culm-leaves, young shoots) [#1279].
Uses: Shoots for food; culms for construction, building material, furniture, musical instruments, and handicrafts.
Flowering cycle: 50–60 years [#1226].
Seed viability: Seeds are viable, but the duration of viability is unknown.
Cultivation requirements: propagation. — S. A. Paembonan & al., 2019: 1-9 [#1357].
Comments: It is stated in M. A. Rifai (l.c., 1995 [#1226]) that flowers are known, but "caryopsis unknown", and that plants die after flowering. Whereas it is stated in Kew GrassBase [#1335] that the fruit is a "caryopsis with adherent pericarp".
Specimen: BS-0504 [†] (living plant), received from the cultivated stock of Bamboo Land, Queensland, Australia, 7 June 2010.
Characteristics: Culms erect, upright. Culm-internode walls less than 1 cm thick. Culm-leaf sheaths covered with black hairs. Foliage-leaf blades large, 20–44 cm long, 3–9 cm wide, glabrous.
Cultivation requirements: Easy-growing; in part shade to full sun, sandy loam to clay loam, normal moisture-retentive to moist with good drainage.
Comments:
(1) The plant, BS-0504, got established and was grown to about 3 m in height, then flowered from March 2011 to April 2012, and died thereupon. No seeds were found in the spikelets, and no seedlings were found on the ground.
(2) Photos were taken from the immature plant at Bambusetum Baan Sammi. The characteristics of the plant as shown in the photos do not seem to be different from the descriptions of the species. And further: "G. atter can easily be distinguished from the 3 related species [G. atroviolacea, G. pseudoarundinacea, and G. robusta] by its rounded and slightly outward curved culm sheath auricles" (M. A. Rifai, l.c., 1995: p. 105 [#1226]). A photo of the culm sheath of the plant at Bambusetum Baan Sammi seems to display this character. Hence, there is no reason to distrust the species identification by Bamboo Land.
(3) The plants at Bamboo Land in Australia also flowered around the same time. Seeds were collected in low quantities, and seedlings were raised by Bamboo Land (Janne Niellson, Bamboo Land, pers. comm.).
Gigantochloa atter (BS-0504): Apex of a young shoot
Gigantochloa atter (BS-0504): Flowering branch
Gigantochloa cf. atter
Specimen: BS-0389 [BBG ] (living plant), Royal Project, Huai Hong Khrai (ห้วยฮ่องไคร้) Study Center, Doi Saket District, Chiang Mai Province, cult., received via ธ. ล. as "ไผ่ตง (phai tong)", 11 Dec. 2009.
Characteristics: Habit caespitose, tight clump. Rhizome pachymorph, short. Culms straight, erect. Young shoots conical, green, covered with blackish hairs, culm-leaf blades erect; emerge from March/April. Culm-internodes terete, green, glabrous, scattered with dark hairs on the upper part towards the node when young. Culm-nodes not prominent; nodal line horizontal; sheath scar marginally protruding; supranodal line obscure, without a ridge; with a narrow band of brown and whitish long appressed hairs just below the nodal line; aerial roots none(?). Branch-buds solitary. Branches several, unequal, the central one dominant; branching intravaginal; rebranching. Culm-leaves deciduous. Culm-leaf sheaths parabolic, shorter than the internode, brittle, light green when young, light straw-colored when dry, covered with appressed dark brown to blackish hairs, or hairs almost absent; apex rounded, symmetrical; margins eciliate or sparsely pale ciliate. Culm-leaf auricles conspicuous erect glabrous round lobes, dark green glossy when young, with short wavy spiral whitish bristles. Culm-leaf ligule convex-rounded, light straw-colored when dry, denticulate. Culm-leaf blades erect, reflexed when dry, persistent, lanceolate, with a broad blade base, almost triangular on the basal and lower culm, glabrous, purplish green or mid-green when young, light straw-colored when dry; apex long pointed; margins eciliate, but with a few pale ciliae near the base, margins incurved when dry. Foliage-leaves about 10 per branchlet. Foliage-leaf sheaths light green when young, glabrous; apex truncate; margins eciliate. Foliage-leaf auricles inconspicuous or absent. Foliage-leaf ligule short, subentire. Foliage-leaf blades lanceolate, green; base rounded to wedge-shaped; apex attenuate.
Comments:
(1) The plant was transferred to Boonthammee Bamboo Garden and is no longer in cultivation at Bambusetum Baan Sammi.
(2) The plant was obtained under the name "ไผ่ตง (phai tong)", Dendrocalamus asper, but this is certainly not that species or another species in the genus Dendrocalamus. The plant has conspicuous round lobe-like auricles; therefore, BS-0389 was considered a species of Bambusa. However, it was also considered that BS-0389 could be a species of Gigantochloa as this genus also includes some species with auricles of a lobe-like shape, as well as species with rim-like auricles ending in a lobe-like shape. A comparison of the culm-leaf and other characteristics of BS-0389 with those of Gigantochloa atter revealed a great deal of similarity, and it is likely that they are conspecific.
(3) BS-0389 is very similar to the following specimens: BS-0301, BS-0470, BS-0471. A precise comparison has not yet been carried out, but it is very likely that all of these specimens are conspecific.
(4) There are also similarities, but to a lesser extent, with BS-0299, BS-0543, BS-0591.
Gigantochloa cf. atter (BS-0389): Young shoot, showing a densely dark hairy culm-leaf with a glabrous lobe-like bristly auricle and an erect blade (the culm-leaf apex is symmetrical and both auricles are equal in shape and size)
Specimen: BS-0470 [BBG ] (living plant), Singapore Botanic Gardens, "7043*A", cult., received via C. S., 1 June 2010.
Comments:
(1) The plant was transferred to Boonthammee Bamboo Garden and is no longer in cultivation at Bambusetum Baan Sammi.
(2) A significant difference in the characteristics of BS-0389 could not be found.
Gigantochloa cf. atter (BS-0470): Young shoot, showing densely dark hairy culm-leaves with glabrous lobe-like bristly auricles and deflexed blades, the lower culm-leaf dried and straw-colored
Specimen: BS-0471 [BBG ] (living plant), Singapore Botanic Gardens, "hort. 7043.2", received via C. S., 1 June 2010.
Comments:
(1) The plant was transferred to Boonthammee Bamboo Garden and is no longer in cultivation at Bambusetum Baan Sammi.
(2) A significant difference in the characteristics between BS-0471 and BS-0389 could not be found. Culm-leaf sheaths have less hair, and auricles have fewer and shorter pale bristles.
Gigantochloa cf. atter (BS-0471): Apex of a young shoot, showing culm-leaves with scattered dark hairs, glabrous lobe-like auricles, and deflexed blades
Specimen: BS-0301 [BBG] (living plant), Rimba Ilmu Botanical Garden, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, cult., received via C. S., Sep. 2009.
Characteristics: Rhizome pachymorph, short. Culms erect, straight. Young shoots emerge from May to August. Culm-internodes 29–36 cm long, smooth to minutely rough, scattered with black hairs on the upper half of the internode, otherwise glabrous, thick-walled. Culm-nodes not or slightly prominent, with aerial roots on basal culms. Branches many, the central one dominant. Culm-leaves deciduous. Culm-leaf sheath with patches of short black hairs; apex rounded; margins black ciliate. Culm-leaf auricles large, rounded, dark green when young, with waved pale bristles. Culm-leaf ligule short, entire. Culm-leaf blade long lanceolate-triangular, erect or deflexed. Foliage-leaves 7–10 per branchlet. Foliage-leaf sheath sparsely black hispid when young, glabrous when old. Foliage-leaf auricles small, rounded, short bristly. Foliage-leaf ligule inconspicuous. Foliage-leaf blades 17–20 × 2.3–2.7 cm, glabrous on both surfaces; base rounded to cuneate; apex acuminate; margins antrorsely scabrous; midvein prominent; pseudopetiole 2 mm long.
Comments:
(1) The plant was transferred to Boonthammee Bamboo Garden and is no longer in cultivation at Bambusetum Baan Sammi.
(2) A significant difference in the characteristics between BS-0301 and BS-0389 could not be found.
Gigantochloa cf. atter (BS-0301): Apex of a young shoot, showing culm-leaves with dense dark hairs, glabrous lobe-like auricles and deflexed blades