Discovery of the first succulent bamboo (Poaceae, Bambusoideae) in a new genus from Laos’ karst areas, with a unique adaptation to seasonal drought

By

Haevermans, Thomas
Mantuano, Dulce
Zhou, Meng-Yuan
Lamxay, Vichith
Haevermans, Agathe
Blanc, Patrick, 1953-
Li, De-Zhu

Type

Article

Date of Publication

2020

Original Publication

PhytoKeys

Volume

156

Pages

125--137

Subjects

Bambusinae , desiccation tolerance , genetic resources , xerophyte

Contributed by

Pensoft Publishers

Language

English

Published by

Sofia, Bulgaria Pensoft Publishers [2010]-

Identifiers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3897/phytokeys.156.51636

 

Abstract

Lush jungle flagship species, woody bamboos (Poaceae–Bambusoideae) are famed for their synchronous flowering as well as the extensive “bamboo forests” some species can form in tropical or temperate environments. In portions of their natural distribution, Bambusoideae members developed various adaptations to seasonality in environmental parameters, such as frost or seasonal drought. A new taxon,Laobambos calcareus, described here, is extremely novel in showing the first documented case of succulence in bamboos, with its ability to seasonally vary the volume of its stem depending on the quantity of water stored. Anatomical studies presented in this paper document this specificity at the cellular level. Though no flowers or fruits are known yet, unique morphological characteristics along with an investigation of its phylogenetic affinities using molecular data show that this new taxon should belong to a new genus herein described.