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Tre XIII.—BAMBUSE. 
Spikelets 2- to many-flowered (rarely only 1-flowered) in racemes 
or panicles; empty glumes at the base of the spikelet two to several; 
flowering glumes many-nerved, awnless, or very rarely short- 
me Ims woody, at least near the base, and perennial; leaf 
blade cimeanlly with a short ge and articulated with the sheath 
from which it finally separate 
A comparatively small tribe of 23 genera and about 
200 species. The species are chiefly confined to the 
region within the Tropics. Many of them are of very 
great importance to the natives of the countries where 
they grow. Manufactured articles of bamboo, either 
of use or for ornament, now enter into the commerce 
of the world. The bamboos are remarkable for their 
woody stems and often arborescent or tree-like habit of 
growth, some of the species attaining the height of 25 
to40m. In parts of India they form extensive forests. 
One species in this tribe has leaves 2 to 5 m. long by 
10 to 25 em. wide; another, a Cuban species, has leaves 
7 to 15 em. long and as fine asa horse-hair. Fleshy and 
edible apple-like or berry-like fruits are borne by some 
of the species. In the East the bamboos furnish mate- 
rial for the construction of houses, household furniture, 
and domestic utensils, as well as for articles of orna- 
ment,and even clothing. Some supply drink to the 
thirsty traveler, and the highly farinaceous grain is 
used by the poorer casts for food. It is recorded that 
in India the fruit of bamboos have several times been 
the means of saving hundreds of thousands of people 
from stavation in times of famine. Many species are 
now in cultivation and are used for the decoration of 
parks and lawns. Arundinaria macrosperma, which 
forms the *‘canebrakes” of the Southern States, is our 
best known example of this tribe. 
