COLONEL MUNRO'S MONOGRAPH OF THE BAMBUSACE^. 



129 



BAMBOOS. 



ublication I was reading a short time since I 



the following passage : — " Bamboos are ever 



graceful. Vou must look at the force and 

 of the spray in Mr. Miles' picture of ' VUy 

 s Akin,' just recently engraved. No other 

 lether Palm or Orchid, could have told half as 

 .hat bit of common Bamboo in an epitome of 

 •ace and elegance possible in a grassy stem." 

 iage reminded me that I had promised, when 



giv? you my experience in the matter of 

 . I am not going to enter upon the subject 

 ly, or to say whether the names applied by 

 en to various reed-like plants are correct, 

 ly to say a few words on the ornamental 



Bamboos (so called), for Bamboos as a 

 lant are even now unknown. A few weeks 

 ;S walking through the well-kept garden and 

 )t a lady with great taste and a real love of 

 hose near relatives have taste and fine 

 ind grounds, and in reply to my question 

 • cultivation of Bamboos I was shown a 

 jecimen of the most miserable kind — three 

 terns not 3 feet high, and when lately at 

 w the same wretched display of this fine 

 ants. 



year 1S60 I was staying at Malvern for my 

 id whilst there I purchased a very small 

 Bambusa falcata, then so called, but now 

 amnocalamus Falconeri. It was not a foot 

 was assured it would make areed-like growth 

 r more. I have the plant now in the open 



very large plant. Some years the shoots 

 bed 15 feet in the summer and autumn. 

 'S graceful and green. I have now other 



the same kind, and one immense plant 

 'ith me a few years since, and then died — 

 numbers of large plants of this kind through- 

 ;. If the garden is large it may be well to 

 nnocalamus, but not otherwise, as it will not 

 oliage through a severe winter. The next 

 t with was Bambusa Metake, a small plant 

 light stems about 2 feet high ; it was planted 

 able situation in ordinary garden soil, but 

 ater. This plant is now quite a sight for 

 :e, and grace of form. It has now 180 

 d-like stems, with leaves 14 feet high, the 

 drooping down in the most graceful way, 

 nboo I have now many, planted in various 

 various soils, all flourishing. It is quite as 

 he common Laurel, and when the outer 

 bent to the ground by snow they never 

 recover themselves again on the snow pass- 

 evergreen, and only in the severest weather 

 p leaves slightly browned. Whether the 

 imall or large, no garden should be without 

 telake. For peculiar and good effect there 



to equal it except my next purchase, Bam- 

 iinacea, the true Bamboo. This was an 

 ill plant as the Metake when purchased. 



has now forty-eight canes from 9 to 10 



^ 



*» 

 ^ 





I, margiiie pilis violaceis vcl niyris eiliata; superior subsequilonga, 

 J vcl obtusa vel bimucronata, in flosculo supremo dorso convcxa. 

 3rtis, flexuosis, mucroue longo, hirsuto subulatis. Stylus longus, apice 

 ngiim, apice hirsutum. 



Culmo difFuso, scandente, internodiis floriferis plerumque 

 9 liu. longis, anguste ct/Iiudricis, curvatis, flosculo terminaU 

 laleisque inferioribus pilis a/6i* longis ciliatis, foliis dubiis. 



le" incolis), no. 19 ! Brandts; Moulmein, no. 27 ! Falconer, v. s. 

 riis, circumferentia maxima 4^ poll., internodiis bipedalibus, annulis 

 rnodii aequautibusj foliis deciduis." — Brandis. Folia dubia. Panicula 

 sita (pars superior 9-pedalis in hb. Falconer adest), internodiis ssepe 

 '.e scabris, superioribus glabris et nitidis, ramis inferioribus ad nodos 

 s binisve, simpliciter verticillato-spicatis, interdum 2 pedes longis, 

 lensiHoris, subaequidistantibus. Spicula pallida, deorsum imperfecta, 

 •ibus 1-paleaceis, sterilibus, tertio masculo, terminali hermaphrodito. 

 merso-nervosa, margine pilis albis patidis fiiubriata; superior siil)- 

 jliqua ut in O. nigro-ciliata. 



f the fringe on the margin of the lower palea, the spicule 

 d from that of the preceding by the absence of a terminal 

 appears to be a much more slender plant, with a much less 

 % unfortunately, no leaves actually attached to any of the 

 , I have been unable to describe the foliage with any 



Culmo 10-12-pedali, ramulis ad nodos numerosis, inferi- 



iferis, s:qoe 2-3 ped. et ultra longis, spiculis breviljus, -4-6 



is, sed ssepius 3-floris, flosculis 1-3 bipaleaceis, palea infe- 



fimbriata, vel, in var /3, glabra, apice spinoso-acuta, an- 



foliis lanceolatis, ligula vel brevi vel elongata. — Dendro- 



iw. in Enum. 376. Bambusa stricta, Roxb. Cor. PI. t. 80 ! 



quoad descrij)tionem, qua^ ad Dendrocalamum strictum 



ictus, var. spiculis glabratis," Nees, MS. in hb. Wight I 



Dalea inferiore margine glabra, foliis pedalibiis, 1^- poll. 



4000-5000 ped. s. m., no. 3359 ! Thwaites ; Ind. or. in montibus Nil- 



. 1761 = 3430! ^Fi^A/. Yar. /3, Ceylon ! TAwai/e*. v. s. 



losus, striatus, circiter 1 poll, in diam., ramosus. Folia lanceolata, acumi- 



,parum ob]iqua,margine uno vel utroque scrrata,supra glabra, subtus pri- 



, dcmum glabra, plerumque 2-5 poll, longa, 6-9 lin. lata, nervis secun- 



•ansversis obsoletis (in var. /S folia 12 poll, longa, 1| poll, lata, nen-is 



, vcnulis transversis conspicuis). " Vagina fugaci-albido-pilosae, apice 



longe caduco-cuiatae," nguia nunc brevi, nunc elongata, apice membranacea, obtusa. Infiorescentia 



(an culmo foliifero tcrminalis ?) panicula dccomposita, ramis inferioribus sffipe longissimis, valde inx- 



VOL. XXVI. S 



