178 JOtjRN AL, BOMBAY NATilRAL HISTORY SOCIETY, Vol. XIV. 



Botanic Gardens, Calcutta, statea that in 1857 and 1858 many of the Bamboos 

 near Calcutta and on Parasnath flowered and seeded, but in no case that he 

 was aware of did a general death of the Bamboos follow. So far as he observ- 

 ed only the flowering shoots died, and their place was taken by young shoots 

 springing from the roots, but during the flowering and seeding the foliage 

 almost entirely disappeared. He adds: Bambusa gigantea at Calcutta. flowered 

 for the first time nfter thirty years in 1861, and remained alive although 

 the plants were weakened." " Arundinaria hookeriana, Munro,''' Dr, Hooker 

 says, " After maturing its seeds and giving off suckers from the root, the parent 

 plant dies," '' Bambusa flexuosa, Mimro, Osbeck during his travels in China in 

 1751, mentions that it is said to flower once in sixty years." Munro says 

 of Dendrocalamus strictus, Nees, that it flowers frequently, if not every year, 

 and does not die down after flowering. Roxbnrgh states, according to Munro, 

 that he never saw Bambusa Balcooa more than once in flower, and Humboldt 

 according to the same authority, " Mons Mutis herborised for twenty years in 

 the country where Bambusa guadua formed marshy forests, several leagues 

 broad, without being able to procure a flower." Munro also says : " Some of 

 the Arundinaria which die down every year, and springing up again, flower, 

 annually." 



From " Hooker's Flora of British India," Yol. VII,, I take the following : — 

 " Arundinaria walkeriana, Munro ; probably flowers frequently," " Arundina- 

 ria wightiana, Nees, flowers annually." Arundinaria recemosa, Munro ; 

 flowers rarely, and only in the higher elevations, 6,000 feet to 12,000 feet." 

 "Arundinaria griffithiana, Munro; only once seen in flower." "Bambusa 

 Tulda, Roxb ; flowers gregariously, and in single clumps." " Bambusa 

 arundinaria, Willd ; flowers gregariously and in small clumps." 



Hanee, in his supplement to the "Flora Hongkongensis," at page 49, has 

 the following remarks on the flowering of Dendrocalamus latiflorus, Munro: — 

 " This fine species, the 'Great Bamboo' of the Chinese, which has culms 

 about 40 feet high, instead of 7 feet — as stated by Munro— flowers, favente 

 jove annually without dying down or being apparently weakened." On the 

 same page, he says of Bambusa flexuosa, Munro:— '-A curious and distinct 

 species, forming dense clumps, apparently flowering less regularly than 

 Dendrocalamus latiflorus, but also not dying afterwards. " 



As regards the flowering of Bambusa tuldeides, Munro, I can say from 

 personal observations that it has flowered aonually in Hong Kong for the last 

 six or seven years without dying subsequently, and also that clumps of 

 apparently the same age do not flower simultaneously. This species flowers 

 from March onwards, and at the time of writing (the beginning of August) 

 many clumps of it are in flower. It becomes considerably weakened by 

 flowering, and loses many leaves, but ultimately recovers, Schizostachyum 

 duraotorum, Munro (Bambusa dumetorum, Hance), also flowers annually 

 ■without dying down, Phyllostachys bambusoidus and an Arendinaria I 



