42 o f t h e e o i m l b o t a n i c GAI!DE^^ c a l c u t t a.
Platií No. 38.—Bamhusa nana, Roxb. 1, leaf-brancli; 2, part of flower-panicle:
3 & A, cuhii-sbeaths—of natural size; 5 & 6, spike! et ; 7, flowering glume; 8, palea Í
9, lodicules; 10, anther; 11, ovary and stigmas; 12, cai-ycpsis—cw/fí^^rct?. (No. 4 from
Kurz' picture in the Herbarium of the Royal Botanic Garden, Calcutta, the rest from
my own or Ivurz' specimens.)
11. Bambusa Balcooa, Roxb. Ilort Beng. 25 (ISli).
A tall, stout, caispitose bamboo Culms dull greyish-green, 50 to 70 ft. hiííh, 3 to 6
in. in diameter, branched from tlie base, the lower nodes giving off leafless, hard
branchlefs; nodes swollen, with a whitish ring above them, hairy below ; internodes
8 to 18 in. long, walls thick. Ozilm-sheuths of two descriptions ; lower ones short and
hroad, densely ai^pressad-hairy on the upper surface, ciliate on the edges and on the
rounded top; imperfect hkido short, triangular, decurrent into short, fringed auricles;
upper ones 10 to 14 in. long, 8 to 10 in. broad, almost glabrous, striate, truncate above,
ciliate on the edges ; imperfect Hade 6 to 8 in. long, 3 to 4 in. broad, sharp at the
apex and "wiih recurved margins, closely hairy below, stiiate above, rounded at the
base, and then again decurrent on the sheath in a narrow hand beai'ing a few long ciliate
hairs; Vgule'2 to -3 in. broad, dentate. Leaves oblong-lanceolate, 6 to 12 in. long, 1 to
2 in. broad; rounded or subcordate at the base into a short petiole; the apes with a
twisted, scabrous, setaceous point; glabrous above, pale beneath and hairy Avhen young,
especially below; scabrous-oiliate on both edges; main vein prominent, shining beneath,
secondary veins 7 to 11, intermediate 6 or 7, many pellucid glands "whiuh often give
the appearance of prominent transverse veinlets on the lower surface ; leafslmth striate,
appressed-white-hairy, truncate above with a narrow callus, and somotimes furnished
with a very few stiff waved deciduous bristles; Ugule membranous, broadly tiiangulai-.
Inflomcence ii large compound panicle, bearing spicate branches with bracteate heads of
spikeleis ; r;ichis pubescent or scurfy, striate, swollen above. Spikelcis ovoid, lanceolate,
flattened, '3 to '6 in. long, '2 to '3 in. broad, with 0 to 2 empty glumes, then
4 to 6 hermaphrodite flowers, then a terminal imperfect flower on a short flattened
rachilla ; empf>¡ ghyiip-s ovate-acute many-nerved; flowering glumes similar but larger and
ciliate on the edges; palea as long as flowering glume, ovate-acute, 2-kcoled, long
ciliate on the keels, indistinctly veined. Lodicules 3, ovate or obovate, 3- to 5-nerved,
fimbriate on the edges. Stamens hardly exserted, anthers glabrous, the connective ending
in a short, dark, sometimes hairy point. Omry broadly ovoid, acuminate, hairy, with a
hairy style branching into three long plumose stigmas. Caryopsis not seen. lioxb,
Fl. Ind. ii. 196: Icon. ined. 1402; Muvro in Trans. Linn. Soc. xxvi. 100; Brandts
For. Flora 567. Bauuusa capensis, Raprecht Bamh. 54, tab. xiii. fig. 54; Blexulel Syn.
330. B. vASARtA, Herb.- Ram. in Wall. Cat. 5025. Dendiíocalahus Balcooa, Voigt
Uort. Sub. Cole. 718.
Assam, LoAver Bengal and Bihar extending to Goruckpore. Cultivated at the
Cape of Good Hope, and not uncommon in gardens there.
This well marked bamboo is recognized by the large culm-sheaths which resemble
those of Dendrocalamus Ilamiltonii, by the long leafless shoots given off from the lower
nodes, by the leaves with rounded bases and hairy sheaths, the flattened .soft spikelets
and long stigmas. It is probably the best and strongest species for building purposes,
and is greatly esteemed in Calcutta, but it is not handsome, and would hardly be chosen
india:^ 13AMBUSE.'E; GAMBLE.
,0 plant for ornamental purposes. It is much used for scaffolding and is very M e
ii veil seasoned by immersioa in water. It is called ii.//.« J . - Bengal, and ii./«/.«
Assamese); and to this species I attribute specimens sent by G. Mann under the name,
¿ t a . . » « , from Sylhet, i r . W , from the Garo Hills, and those collected by
u,vself in the Western Duars under the n a m e I t has been but rarely coilected
flower: once by Roxburgh and once by Hamilton; by Hooker in the I W a c . t n c t
in 1840- by G. Mann in Goalpara in 1876; in Kamrup (Pam Ram Das, collector)
in 1889; and by Captain Wood, Conservator of Forests, in Goruckpore, m 1881.
Plate No. ZS).-Bamlusa Balcooa, Roxb. 1, leaf-branch ; 2, part of flower-panicle—
of natural si'C • 3 & 4, culm-sheaths—rcf/ziccf/; 5, leaf-sheath ; 6, spikelet; 7, flowering
alunie- 8 p'alea- 9, lodicule; 10, anther; 11, ovary with style and sii^^yx^^-enlarged.
IKO. 2 from Mann's Goalpara specimens; rest from Calcutta Botanic Garden specimens.)
SECTION II.
12. B.U!BUSA -iTiLGAKis, Schrad. in ^yendl. Collect. PI. ii. 26, t. 47.
A moderate-sized bamboo with rather distant culms. Culms bright green, yellow, or
8trip¡d green and yellow, polished, shining, 20 to 50 ft. high, 2 to 4 in. in diameter
or move, early branching ; nodes hardly raised, but having a narrow ring usually
covered \vith brown hairs ; internodes 10 to 18 in. long; walls rather thin. Ciihnsheaths
6 to 10 in. long, 7 to 9 in. broad, often beautifully streaked when young
with green and yellow, rounded at top and concavely truncate, striate, clothed on the
upper surface with thick appressed brown hairs, edges ciliate j imperfect blade somewhat
triangular, acute, 2 to 6 in. long and up to 4 in. broad, ajDpressed-hairy on both
surfaces, margins revolute, rounded at the base and decm-rent on the sheath, finally
ending on both sideXfn a round, falcate, conspicuous auricle which is fringed by wavy
stiff biistles ; lujiile'-'Z to '3 in. broad, dentate, sometimes long-fimbriate. Leaves Hnearlanceolate,
pale green, 6 to 10 in, long, -7 to 1'7 in. broad, rounded or attenuate
at the base into a ' t in. long petiole; ending above in a long twisted scabrous point;
glabrous on both surfaces, except occasionally somewhat hairy beneath when young ;
scabrous on the mai-gin and on adjacent nerves ; main vein narrow, pale, secondary
veins 6 to 8, intermediate 8 to 9, frequent pellucid glands giving the appearance
beneath of transverse veinlets; leafsheaths striate, laxly hairy, eoding in a smooth ciUate
callus and a smooth rounded auricle with very few deciduous bristles; ligxde short,
shortly ciUate. Inflorescence a large leafy compound panicle bearing spicate branches
with heads of spikelets in bracteate clusters of 3 to 10, the clusters larger at the
nodes ; rachis rounded or somewhat furrowed, scurfy, end segments hairy. Spikelets
•6 to '8 in. long, oblong, acute, compressed, having the a^jpearance of being bifid
down the middle ; bearing 1 to 2 empty glumes, then 6 to 10 flowers, and finally an
imperfect flower; rachillas ouneate, glabrous, not apparent; empty glumes ovate-acute,
ciliate at tip, many-nerved ; flowering glumes similar but larger; palea as long as, or a
little longer than, flowering glume, bluntly acute, 2-keeled, white-ciliate on the keels,
faintly 3-nerved. Lodicides unequal, usually two, ovate-oblong, the thhd longer, acute,
long white-ciliate, 3-veincd, very membranous. Stamens exserted, puiple; anthers narrow,
blunt, hairy, apiculate. Ovary narrowly oblong, iiairy, surmounted by a long, 1hin, hairy
style divided near the top into 3 short plumose stigmas. Caryopsis not known. Roih Noc.
Axs. Boy, DOT. GARD. CAi.cxi-rTA, Yol. TIL
m