Scientific Name
Bambusa tuldoides Munro
Synonyms
Arundarbor angulata (Munro) Kuntze, Arundarbor breviflora (Munro) Kuntze, Arundarbor brevifolia Kuntze [Spelling variant], Arundarbor tuldoides (Munro) Kuntze, Bambusa angulata Munro, Bambusa blumeana Hook. & Arn. [Illegitimate], Bambusa breviflora Munro, Bambusa fauriei Hack., Bambusa flavonoda W.T.Lin, Bambusa longiflora W.T.Lin, Bambusa pallescens (Döll) Hack., Bambusa parvifolia W.T.Lin, Bambusa tulda Benth. [Illegitimate], Bambusa ventricosa McClure, Chimonobambusa angulata (Munro) T.Q.Nguyen, Guadua pallescens Döll, Leleba breviflora (Munro) Nakai, Leleba faurei (Hack.) Nakai, Leleba tuldoides (Munro) Nakai, Leleba ventricosa (McClure) W.C.Lin, Tetragonocalamus angulatus (Munro) Nakai [1]
Vernacular Name
| Malaysia | Buloh balai [2], buluh cina [3] |
| English | Punting pole bamboo, verdant bamboo, Buddha’s belly bamboo [2], chinese bamboo [3] |
| China | Chang ko chuk, nai chuk [4] |
| Indonesia | Bambu blenduk [2] |
| Vietnam | H[os]p [2] |
Geographical Distributions
Bambusa tuldoides is native to southern China and Vietnam and has been introduced to Europe, the United States, Honduras, Puerto Rico and Brazil. In tropical Asia, this plant grows naturally at low altitudes. In the United States (California, Florida), it grows well in subtropical areas and noted to be frost-hardy (to -7°C). [2]
Botanical Description
B. tuldoides is a member of the family Poaceae [1]. It is a densely tufted and sympodial bamboo. The culm is erect with slightly nodding tip, measures 6-10 m tall, measuring 3-5 cm in diametre, near the base and with a wall 4-5 mm thick. It is hairless when young and thinly covered with white wax. The internodes are 30-36 cm long but not swollen. The nodes are slightly swollen where the lowermost is with 1-2 nodes and with a ring of greyish silky hairs above the sheath scar [2].
The branches are frequently from the basal of the 1st or 2nd node upwards, the complement branch is few to many, with the primary branch is dominant and thornless. [2]
The culm sheath is caducous, hairless or sparsely covered with a few deciduous appressed brown hairs on the outer surface, marked with 1-3 yellowish stripes towards the outer margin and ribbed-striated when dried. The apex is asymmetrically arched-convex and slanted along the outer margin for 1/10 to 1/8 the length of the sheath. The blade is erect, asymmetrically triangular to narrowly triangular, acuminate and subulate. The base is 3/4 as wide as the apex of the sheath. The basal margins are adnate to the auricles, hairless or sparsely covered with a few deciduous appressed brown hairs on the outer surface and with rough hairy on the lower half on the inner surface. [2]
The ligule is 3-4 mm long, lacinate, shortly and densely fringed. The auricles are prominent, bearing slender bristles along the edge and slightly unequal. The larger one is ovate to ovate-elliptical and undulate-wrinkled while the smaller one is broadly ovate to elliptical. The young shoots are smooth. The leaf blade is lanceo-shaped to narrowly lance-shaped, measuring 10-18 cm x 1-2 cm, hairless or sparsely pubescent toward the above base and densely soft-hairy beneath. The auricles are developed or lacking, narrowly ovate or falcate and bearing straight or curled bristles along the edge. [2]
The inflorescence is borne on the long leafless branches, consisting of groups of pseudospikelets and scattered along the branches. The spikelet measures 2-5 cm x 2-3 mm, greenish yellow or with a purple hue and bearing 2-5 perfect florets. The caryopsis is cylindrical, slightly curved, measuring 8 mm x 1.5 mm, thickened and hairy at the apex. [2]
Cultivation
B. tuldoides is widely cultivated in southern China, Japan and Southeast Asia. [2]
Chemical Constituent
No documentation
Plant Part Used
No documentation
Traditional Use
No documentation
Preclinical Data
No documentation
Clinical Data
No documentation
Poisonous Management
No documentation
Line Drawing
References
- The Plant List. Ver1.1. Bambusa tuldoides Munro [homepage on the Internet]. c2013 [updated 2012 Mar 23; cited 2015 Apr 15]. Available from: http://www.theplantlist.org/tpl1.1/record/kew-399090
- But PPH, Chia LC. Bambusa tuldoides Munro. In: Dransfield S, Widjaja EA, editors. Plant Resources of South-East Asia No. 7: Bamboos. Leiden, Netherlands: Backhuys Publisher; 1995. p. 72-74
- Herbal Medicine Research Centre, Institute Medical Research. Compendium of Medicinal Plants Used in Malaysia. Volume 1. Kuala Lumpur: HMRC IMR; 2002. p.100.
- Oakes AJ. Ornamental Grasses and Grasslike Plants. New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold; 1990. p. 366.
