2. Dendrocalamus.] 139. GRAMINEJS. 



small on side branches, often 15" by 2-5" on new shoots, broadly 

 lanceolate cuspidate with rounded shortly petioled base and finely 

 serrate margin. Panicle very large, branches scabrous and white- 

 pruinose. Spikelets in hemispheric heads -5-1 -5" diam., nearly -S" 

 long, ovoid purple glabrous, empty gls. usually 2 short rounded, 

 fig. gls. 2-4 orbicular, margins ciliate, anthers purple Avith a long 

 black hairy twisted point. 



A common tropical Himalayan bamboo, rare in our area. N. Champaran, on the 

 Nepal boundary in the Sameshwar Hills ! It flowers sporadically. 



The young shoots are eaten. The large size of the internodes and lumen make 

 it very useful as water pipes and like other bamboos it is used for a variety of 

 purposes. 



3. BAMBUSA, Schreh. 



Usually large and csespitose bamboos, rarely shrubby or with scat- 

 tered culms. Stem-sheaths broad, blade often triangular. Leaves 

 shortly petioled not tessellate by nervules, but sometimes by pellucid 

 glands {fide Gamble; I have seen no anatomical investigation of these 

 marks), sheaths auricled. Inflorescence generally a large leafless 

 panicle bearing heads on spiciform branches, or of leafly panicles, or 

 panicled spikes. Spikelets 1-many-flowered ; lower gls. 1-4 empty 

 or gemmiferous ; fl. gls. ovate-lanceolate, uppermost imperfect ; 

 palea 2-keeled. Lodicules 2-3, membranous, ciliate, rarely 0. 

 Stamens 6. Ovary oblong or obovate, tip hairy ; style long or 

 short, stigmas 2-3. Grain oblong or linear- oblong, furrowed on one 

 side ; pericarp thin adherent. 



I. Branches unarmed :— 



A. Ijarge bamboos, culms 2'' diam. and more : — 



1. Spikelets terete in loose heads. Leaves 6-10" long 



by '7o-Vb" wide, glaucescent and puberulous 



beneath :— 

 Ctespitose. Palea not ciliate. Anths. obtuse . . 1. tulda. 

 Culms solitary. Palea long-ciliate. Anthers aijici;- 



late 2. 7iutans, 



2. Spikelets flattened in dense heads :— 



L. 1-2" wide. Nodes with a white ring below, swollen 3. balcooa. 



Culms often yellow streaked. L. under 2" wide. 



Nodes hardly raised without white band . . . i. vulgaris. 



B. Shrubby, culms not exceeding 1" diam 5. va7ia. 



II, Branches spinesceut. Very large bamboos . . . .6. artindinacea, 



1. B. tulda, Roxh. Talda bans, Beng. (also djowa, mitenga, matela) ; 



Peka, H. {fide Roxburgh) ; Ropa-mat, S. ; Pepe siman, K. (f. 



Gamble). 

 A very large bamboo attaining 70 ft. in height and 2-4" diam. ; 

 csespitose, internodes 1-2 ft. white-ringed below the nodes with walls 

 •3--5" thick. Stem-sheaths 6-9" long by 6-10" broad (when un- 

 rolled), gradually narrowed upwards with mouth sub-truncate rounded 

 or subtriangular ; blade with coarsely fringed auricles and hairy within, 

 triangular or broadly lanceolate cuspidate. Leaves linear-oblong 

 or -lanceolate, 6-10" by -75-1 -5", base usually rounded, tip subulate 

 twisted, glaucescent and puberulous beneath. At flowering time the 

 whole plant becomes a huge leafless panicle or the flowering is con- 

 fined to short leafy panicles or spiciform branches. Spikelets 1-3" 



948 



