Gigantochloa serik

Thai name: ไผ่เซริก (phai serik).

Malay name: buluh serik.

Distribution: THAILAND: introduced, in cultivation, rare. — INDONESIA: Sumatra, Java, Bali; 50–400 m altitude, in wet areas; native, endemic.

Descriptions:

(1) "Shoots green to dark purplish green, covered by brown to black hairs. Culms 10-15 m high, straight; young culms with black hairs, when old glabrous and green; internodes 25-45 cm long by 2-6 cm in diameter; walls 6-8 mm thick. Culm leaves persistent, covered by appressed black hairs; sheath 15-17 cm long; auricles small, lobe-shaped, 1-2 mm high, glabrous; ligule entire, 1 mm high, bristles absent or up to 8 mm long; blade deflexed, narrowly lanceolate, 2.5-13.5 by 0.6-1.3 cm; base narrow, adaxially slightly hairy; sheath apex margin curved inward or outward. Leaf blades 15.3-27.2 by 2-3.4 cm, glabrous to slightly hairy on the lower surface; auricles small, lobe-shaped, 1-1.5 mm high, bristles absent to few, 3-4 mm long; ligule entire, up to 1 mm high, bristles up to 4 mm long; sheath covered by white hairs. … [flowers described]."  — E. A. Widjaja, 1997: 102 [#1352].

(2) "… Rhizomes short; pachymorph. Culms erect; 1000–1500 cm long; 20–60 mm diam.; woody. Culm-internodes terete; hollow; 25–45 cm long; mid-green; distally glabrous, or hispid (black hairs). Lateral branches dendroid. Culm-sheaths persistent; 15–17 cm long; hispid; with appressed hairs; with black hairs; auriculate; with obtuse auricles; with 1–2 mm high auricles; glabrous on shoulders. Culm-sheath ligule entire, or ciliolate. Culm-sheath blade lanceolate; narrower than sheath; reflexed; 2.5–13.5 cm long; 6–13 mm wide; pubescent (sparsely). Leaf-sheaths pubescent. Leaf-sheath oral hairs scanty, or lacking; 1–4 mm long. Leaf-sheath auricles falcate; 1–1.5 mm long; obtuse. Ligule an eciliate membrane. Collar with external ligule. Leaf-blade base with a brief petiole-like connection to sheath. Leaf-blades lanceolate; 15–27 cm long; 20–34 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface glabrous, or pilose; sparsely hairy; hairy abaxially …" — Kew GrassBase [#1335].

Images: Line drawing in E. A. Widjaja, 1997: 103, fig. 18 [#1352].

Characteristics: "This species is distinguished by the small lobe-shaped, glabrous auricles of the persistent culm leaf, the pubescent leaf blade, and the hairy leaf sheaths." — E. A. Widjaja, 1997: 102 [#1352].

Uses: Culms for basketry; young culms "used for making 'lemang' (a kind of food made of glutinous rice in culms)". — E. A. Widjaja, 1997: 102 [#1352].