THE GRASS FAMILY 



177 



become a hundred feet high. The culms are about three inches 

 in diameter, with the nodes rather near one another. 



Fig. 163.— A Bamboo Clunip (Dendrocalamus giganleus). 



The stems in the centre of the clump are vertical, those at 

 the outer edge hang over giving the whole group a graceful 

 appearance. 



The lower part of the stem is commonly branchless, and 

 often spiky from rudimentary hard branchlets. The lowest 



12 



