Bamhusa] CXII. GEAMINEiE G7I 



thin, bearing lateral heads of spikelets at intervals of 3-4 in. Spikelets cylindric 

 acute, fertile fl. 1, anthers bifid at the apex, stigmas long, plumose, sessile. 



II. Branchlets spinescent. 



20 B. arundinacea, Willd. ; Koxb. Cor. PL t. 79 ; Bedd, FL Sylv. t. 321. 

 Gamble t. 48. Syn. B. spinosa, Eoxb. Vern. Kanta Bans^ Eattang^ Hind. ; 

 Kata^ KotOj Assam ; Kalak, Padhai, Konkan ; Kates Tokar, Thana ; Bidru, 

 Hebhidru^ Bidungulu, Kan.; Bongu, Mundla Veduru, Mungii, Tarn.; Mula^ 

 nii, Mai. ; Kyakat-ioa, Burm. 



Gregarious, densely tufted, culms 50-120 ft., internodes 12-18 in. long^ 

 4-6 in. diam., walls 1-2 in. thick, the nodes in the lower part of the culm 

 bearing dense half-whorls of stilf almost leafless branches, the upper part of 

 the culm bending over, with large distichous leafy branches, alternating at 

 even distances, resembling Prince of Wales' feathers. Culm- sheaths coxi- 

 aceous, 9-12 in. long, shorter than the fall-grown internodes, outside hairy and 

 orange-yellow while young, shining and prominently-ribbed on the inside,, 

 blade triangular, shorter than sheath, upper side clothed with a dense brown 

 felt of bristly hairs. Branchlets with short sharp spines at the nodes. L. 

 small, thin, not exceeding 8 by f in., often hairy beneath, leaf-sheaths usually 

 hairy, n. 30-45, usually 33-39, on J in. Spikelets sessile, .^-1 in. long,, 

 glabrous, shining, glumes as a rule not ciliate, palea slightly longer than fl. 

 glume, the ciliate keels prominently protruding, anthers yellow. Ovary 

 almost cylindric, style glabrous, with 3 long plumose stigmas. Grain |-i in. 

 enclosed in the persistent glume and palea. 



Indigenous in both Peninsulas in the plains and lower hills, ascending to 8,000 ft.. 

 In Burma chiefly along the banks of rivers and in valleys on alluvial soil. Cultivated 

 largely in Northern India, Cultivated in many parts of China. Flowers periodically 

 and simultaneously in one district, when all buds on each culm develop into flowers, 

 exceptionally with a few leaves. At that time as a rule all clumps in the district 

 come into fl., a few clumps flowering in the preceding and others in the following- 

 year. The following data seem to justify the assumption that a general flowering- 

 takes place in periods of 30 -32 years in one district. Malabar, South Kanara, the 

 Wainad and Coorg 1804, 1836, and 1866. On the Nerbudda river near Jabalpur 

 1889, at Jabalpur 1870. (See list of the flowerings of this species inlnd. (For. xxv. 11.) 

 Bheede, Hortus Malabaricus i. 26 t. 16 (1678), however, states that this Bamboo flowers- 

 when 60 years old. A remarkable Bamboo found on the Javadi hills, Salem district, Jr2i 

 vare (D.B. Jan. 1882), the culms not crowded in the clumps, branches single, thorns 

 few, culm-sheaths short, leaves like -H. arundinacea. 



21. B. Oopelandi, G-amble MSS. Yern. Wagyi^ Burm. Largely cultivated in the 

 Northern Shan States. A large species of uncertain position in the genus, resembling 

 Dendrocalamus latiflorus in general appearance. Culm-sheaths thick, scanty black 

 hairs outside, polished inside, 15 in. long, top rounded towards the short and narrow 

 blade. L. ovate-lanceolate, 12-15 by l|-2f in., n. 21-26 on | in. Spikelets glabrous,. 

 1-1| in. long, empty glumes 2-4, with conspicuous transverse veins, flowering 2-3^ 

 longitudinal, n. 26, transverse veins obscure. Palea keeled and shortly bidentate at 

 apex, lodicules lanceolate, hyaline. Anthers J in. long, mucronate at tip. Ovary and 

 style hirsute. Caryopsis J-f in. long, contracted towards the apex. 



4. THYRSOSTACHYS, Gamble; M. Brit. Ind. vii. 397. 



Panicles consisting of numerous compound pedunculate spikes, in the axils- 

 of sheathing bracts, peduncles bearing coriaceous sheaths, usually without a 

 blade. Branches of compound spikes short, in the axils of sheathing bracts^ 

 bearing perfect and imperfect spikelets in the axils of membranous sheaths. 

 Palese hyaline, keeled, ciliate along the keels, those of the lower fi. in 

 each spikelet deeply bifid, that of the uppermost fl. entire, or nearly so. 

 Species 2. 



1. T. Oliveri, G-amble, t. 50. Yern. Thanawa, Burm.; Maitong, Kachin. Upper 

 Burma, on low hills, not in the northei-n moister districts. Flowered in 1891, and, 

 sporadically, in the Euby Mines district in 1902, Bruce in Ind. For. xxx. 270. Tufted, 

 culms erect, 50-80 ft., lower half naked, internodes 14-24 in. long, 2-3 in. diam., bright 

 green with white bloom on young stems, afterwards dull green. Culm-sheaths green 



