16 ANNALS OF THE EOYAL BOTANIC GARDEN, CALCUTTA.
compressed, loug ciliate above; mpty glumes 2, pale, ovate, membrauous, the lower 3- to
5-, the upper 7- to 9-nerved, bluut or acute, ciliate at tip; flowcrinci glume similar but
shortly mucronate, nerves 7 to 9, conspicuous, often miuutely scabrous on the back;
palea longer tliau flowering glume, bi-mucronate, 2-kecIed, ciliate on tlie keels,
S-nei-ved between, l-nerved on either side of them. Lodicules 3, ovate, of
various sizes, fimbiiate, thickened and 3- to 7-nerved at base. Stamens slightly
esscrted; anthers bluut or very slightly pointed at the apex. Omry linear-oblong,
glabrous, ending in a short stifle, divided near the base into two plumose stigmas.
Caryopsis short, oblong, swollen in the middle and furrowed in front, tipped with the
pei-sistent base of the style.
Eastern Himalaya: lower hills of Sikkiin up to 7,000 ft., chiofly on dry ridges,
as on those above Sivokc: collected in flower by Hooker in 1848; by T. Anderson
in 1S6S; and by myself in 1879; also in leaf by Ivurz at Goke, 4,000 ft.; by
T. Thomson and G. A. Gammie. Cultivated in Calcutta, the Nilgiris, and elsewhere.
This species is not ea-sy to recognize from the flowers, but it usually has 4 or
5 fertile flower.s, while A. fahata and A. khasiana have rarely more than 2. The
beautifully, long ciliate leaf-sheath is, however, an excellent character. It is called
Nigala, titi nigala {Nepalese), Parmiok (Lepcha), and the culms are strong and make
fishing rods, baskets, mats, etc. It is an excellent hedging plant.
PLATE KO. 14.—Anmdinaria intermedia, Munro. 1, leaf-branch; 2 & 3. flowering
branches—o/ natural size; 4, culm-sheatli—rii^Hc-'crf to o, leaf-sheath; 6, spikelet;
7 & 8, empty glumes; 9, flowering glume; 10, palea and imperfect flower; 11, lodicule;
12, anther; 13, ovary and stigmas; 14, transverse venation of leaf—enlarged. (All
from Hooker's specimens, except No. 4 from my own.)
14:. ABONDINAKIA HOOKERTANA, Munro in Trans, Linn. Soc. xxvi. 29.
A handsome, rather tall, cajspitose bamboo. Culms 15 to 20 feet high, slender,
glaucous-green with whitish scurf when young; when older with a dark bluish ring
at the top of each internode, often striated green and yellow; -7 to 1-5 in. in diameter;
nodes not much swollen, but prominently ringed by the persistent base of the sheath;
internodes to 8 in. long, fistular, walls thin, (-1 in. in thickness); branchlets chiefly from
the upper nodes, short, those bearing leaves and flowers respectively on different
culms. Culm-sheaihs papery, striate, often 12 to 24 in. long and 3 to 6 in. broad at
base, concavely attenuate upwards in the upper half to a truncate point below the
imperfect blade and produced on either side beyond it to a point to meet the ligulc;
imperfect Hade linear, "2 to '3 in. broad, 3 to 6 in. long; Ugule -1 to '2 in. long,
dentate or lacerate, depressed in the middle, curved upwards at the edges. Leaves linearto
oblong-lanceolate, glaucous-green when young, 6 to 12 in. long by -o to 1-5 in.
broad; attenuate at the base into a 'I to '2 in. long petiole; acuminate in a scabi-ous
setaceous point ; somewhat rough above, pale and glabrous beneath except for a few
white hairs round the midrib at the base; margins scabrous; main vein prominent
beneath, shining; secondary veins 4 to 8 pairs; intermediate 5 to 7, no proper transverse
veinlets, but many pellucid glands giving the appearance of oblique transverse
veinlets on the under surface when dry; leaf-sheatlis striate, glabrous but minutely ciliate
at the edges, ending in a broad callus and thin membrane without bristles; Ugule long,
INDIAN BAMBUSE^; GAJIBLE.
conspicuous, often of dark colour and pointed. Inflorescence of loose, falcate, racemose
panicles fascicled at the nodes of a leafless culm, bracteate at base; rachis dark, smooth,
rounded, geniculate, ultimate branchlets filiform, wavy. Spikcleti about -35 in. long,
pedicellate, drooping, with 2 empty glumes, 1 fertile flower and a terminal free rachilla
or imperfect flower, hard, somewhat scabrous; empty glumes 2, oblong, thin, membranous,
the lower about "l in,, the upper about "2 in. long; the lower 3-ncrved, hairy at tip, the
upper 5-nerved, mucronate; flowering glume large, hard, broadly ovate, involute, angled,
with 3 prominent nerves, scabrous between them ; palea thick, 2-kceled, glabrous, its tip
somewhat prolonged, liirsute. Lodiculcs 3, thickened at base and coloured, obovate, acuto or
rounded, thin, fimbriate, 3—5-nerved. Stamens exserted, anthers sub-acute. Ouary ellipsoid
glabrous, surmounted by a short style, early dividing into 2 rather short plumose stigmas.
Caryopm elliptic, '3 in. long, dark, smooth, tipped with the pointed base of the style.
Eastern Himalaya in Sikkim and Bhutan: collected by Hooker at Yoksun, 4,000
to 6 800 ft. in 1848 ; again in flower by R. Pantling, of the Calcutta Botanic
Garden, at Choongthang, 5,600 ft., in 1885; and by G. A. Gammie in the Ghcet
Valley, British Bhutan, 6,000 ft., in 1892.
This is a very pretty species which ought to be cultivated, and should thrive well
in places in Europe which are sheltered from frost. It is known as Singhani (Nepalese) ;
Prong (Lepcha). The large leaves, bluish thin-walled culms and spikelets with I
flower distinguish it easily.
PLATE No. 15.—Arundinaria Ilookeriana, Munro. 1, leaf-branch; 2, flowering branch;
3, node of culm—natural size; 4, culm-sheath—reduced to 5, imperfect blade and ligule
of culm-sheath, under surface—natural sise; 6, loaf-sheath and ligule; 7, spikelet; 8 & 9,
empty glumes; 10, flowering glume; 11, palea and stamens with imperfect flower; 12,
lodicules and ovary with stigmas; 13, caryopsis — ( N o s . 3, 4, from my own
specimens. No. 5 from Mr. G. A. Gammie's, the rest from Mr. K. Pantling's}.
SECTION III.
15. ARUNDINARIA SPATHIFLORA, Trin. in Ifern. Acad. Pekrsh. Ser. vi. iii. ii (1835), 617.
A gregarious, ciespitose, shrubby bamboo. Culms 12 to 20 feet high, '5 to '8 in. in
diameter, smooth, glaucous-green with wliite scurf at first, afterwards turning yellow
and even reddish-brown, upper joints darker coloured ; nodes prominent, but not much
raised, marked by a whitish ring; internodes 6 to 15 in. long; branchlets cliicfly from
upper nodes, much jointed and bearing straw-coloured sheaths at the joints. Culm-skeaths
loose, glabrous, coriaceous, straw-coloured, striate without, veiy smooth within, ciliate
on the margins, the edges parallel till near the top, where they are slightly narrowed
convexly into a truncately rounded mouth -o to -7 in. broad and with a few stiff bristles;
imperfect Made 2 to 4 in. long by about -3 in. broad, subulate, erect, decurrent on the
sheath; Ugule -1 in. broad, fimbriate. Leaves clustered in groups of 2 to 4 at the
ends of short-jointed branchlets which bear loose, narrow, yellow sheaths. 3 to 5 in.
long, -4 to -6 in. broad, linear-lanceolate, attenuate at base into a -1 to "2 in. long
petiole; ending above in an acute hairy point; smooth on both surfaces, sometimes
slightly hairy below, scabrous on both margins; main vein narrow, not prominent,
secondary veins 3 to 5 pairs, intermediate 5 to 7, transverse veinlets veiy prominent
and regularly tessellate, raised beneath, sometimes oblique ; ieaf-nheaths loose, 2-3 iu.
ANK. HOT. Bor, GAUD. CALCCTTA, VOL. V I I.