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Tribe XIIL— BAMBUSEjE. 



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- 

 awned; culms woody, at least near the base, and perennial; leaf 

 blade usually with a short petiole and articulated with the sheath 

 from which it finally separates. 



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 

 to 40 m. In parts of India they form extensive forests. 

 One species in this tribe has leaves 2 to 5 m. long by 

 10 to 25 cm. Avide; another, a Cuban species, has leaves 

 7 to 15 cm. long and as fine as a 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 

 thirst}^ 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. Arundinar'w macrosperma, which 

 forms the u canebrakes" of the Southern States, is our 

 best known example of this tribe. 



