Neomicrocalamus prainii

Synonyms: Microcalamus prainii Gamble; Arundinaria prainii (Gamble) Gamble; Thamnocalamus prainii (Gamble) É. G. Camus, Racemobambos prainii (Gamble) Keng f. & T. H. Wen.

Thai name: No known records.

Chinese name: 新小竹 (xīn xiǎo zhú).

Distribution: THAILAND: No records are known on whether this species has been introduced into Thailand. — CHINA (South): western Yunnan, southern Tibet (Xizang). — INDIA (North-East): Meghalaya. — MYANMAR. — In mountain forests, on river banks and rocks, 1,200–2,600 m altitude.

Descriptions:

(1) "… Culms scrambling, 6–20 m, 5–25 mm in diam.; nodes level; internodes 20–50 cm, solid or nearly so on smaller culms, glabrous. Dominant branches equal in size to culm. Culm sheaths retrorsely brown scabrous, distally purple-brown spotted, lower portion very tough, upper papery and thin, margins glabrous; ligule inconspicuous, auricles and oral setae absent; blade persistent, erect, acicular, short, to ca. 1 cm. Leaf sheaths 2–4 cm, glabrous or slightly pubescent; ligule 1–1.5 mm; auricles and oral setae absent; blade lanceolate, 4–12 × 0.5–2 cm, apex softly acicular …" — Flora of China [#1303].

(2) "… Rhizomes elongated; pachymorph. Culms scandent; 500–1000 cm long; 5–8 mm diam.; woody. Culm-internodes terete; with small lumen, or solid; 20–25 cm long; yellow. Culm-nodes swollen. Lateral branches dendroid. Branch complement several. Culm-sheaths 5–15 cm long; 5–8 times as long as wide; antrorsely scabrous; convex at apex. Culm-sheath blade inconspicuous. Leaves cauline. Leaf-sheaths striately veined; smooth. Ligule an eciliate membrane; obtuse. Leaf-blade base with a brief petiole-like connection to sheath; petiole 0.2 cm long. Leaf-blades lanceolate, or oblong; 5–10 cm long; 8–18 mm wide. Leaf-blade midrib evident. Leaf-blade venation with 4–6 secondary veins; without cross veins. Leaf-blade margins scabrous. Leaf-blade apex attenuate; filiform …" — Kew GrassBase [#1335].

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

Specimens: BS-0733 (living plant), labeled "Neomicrocalamus prainii - 新小竹 (xīn xiǎo zhú)", received from China in 2012.

Comments: BS-0733 turned out to be Dendrocalamus membranaceus, not a species of Neomicrocalamus; → Dendrocalamus membranaceus.