AiT.NALS OF THE E O T i l BOTAiSIC GAIÎDEN, CALCUTTA,
Tàyrsostachys, , Gamhle.
Arborescent bamboos of gracefi^l habit and moderate size. Culms straight, croct,
b r a n c h i n g above, often covered with the long persistent sheaths. Cuhn-shealhs elongate,
t h i n ; imperfect blade long, narrow. Leaves usually small to moderate-sized. Inflorescence
a large compound panicle, tlie spikelets sessile or stalked in the asils of prominent
b r a c t s . Spikelets pale-colourcd, loose, with 2 to 3 ilowers, uppermost seed-bearing, and
-with a terminal r u d i m e n t a r y flower on a produced rachilla ; empty glumes 1 or 2, much
s t r i a t e ; flowering glumes similar ; palea of lower flowers deeply 2-cleft, with narrow
t a i l - l i k e divisions, 2-keeled, clliate on tlie keels, t h a t of upper f e r t i l e flower not keeled or
c l e f t , elongate ; r a c h i l l a h a i r y . Zodicules very thiu, 0 to 2 or 3, long acuminate. Stamens
6, long exsei-ted, anthers mucronate. Ocarn turbinate, depressed, stalked, surmounted
b y a long style, bearing 2 to 3 broad f e a t h e r y stigmaa. Cargnpsis cylindiical, smooth,
glabrous, shining at the top, grooved on one side, long-beaked, embryo prominent,
p c r i c a r p crustaceons, adherent to the seed.
FloTvcrs large, culm-slieaths straiglit-truneate at top, leaves
moderately large I. T. OUvei-i.
Flowers small, culm-sheaths triangulaiiy-trmicate at top and
with pointed auricles, leaves small 2. T. sieimei-sis.
1. TnyESOSTAcnYS Ol h - e r i , n. sp. Gamhle.
A large cfespitose bamboo with straight culms from a thick rootstock. Culms
50 to 80 ft. high, 2 to 2-5 lq. in diameter, bright green with -whitish silky down
when yoimg, dull green or yellowish when old; nodes v e r y little t h i c k e n e d ; internodes
16 to 24 in. long, walls rather thin. Vtilm-sJieaths somewhat thin, imbricating at the
base, above three-fourths of tîie length of the internodes, green when young, then
t u r n i n g orange and finally brown, persistent, clothed on the back with thick white stiff
pubescence, somewhat rounded at top, but then cut off to a breadth of 1 to 1-2
i n . ciliate at the edges, not amicled, though slightly produced ; imperfeet blade long,
recui-ved, subulate, acuminate, hairy above, 8 to 9 in. long by '7 in. broad ; ligule
•1 in. broad, serrate. Leaves light green, linear-lanceolate, acuminate ; 7 to 8 in. long,
•5 to '7 in. broad, romrded at the base into a short (-1 to -2 in.) petiole; somewhat
rouo-h on b o t h sides, h a i r y beneath, scabrous on t h e edges, those of y o u n g plants broader,
more h a i r y below and bearing long, bulbous-based, strigose hairs above; main vems
narrow, secondary veins 6 pairs, i n t e r m e d i a te 5 to 7, no regular transverse veinlets, but
f r e q u e n t iiTegular pellucid dots instead ; leaf-sheaths striate, hairy, keeled, ending in
"•labrous or h a i r y ciliate calluses and slightly produced at the mouth, ciliate at the edges ;
ligide short, truncate, pubescent. Inflorescence a large compound cuiTed thyrsoid panicle
b e a r i n g bracts at the nodes, with usually one long and two shorter flower-bearing
s p i k e l e t s and one or more sterile ones ; rachis flexuose, hairy, swollen at the top ; bract
11 straw-coloured blunt sheath, '5 to -7 in. or more long, sometimes with a deciduous
g r e e n imperfect blade. SpiMcts -6 t o 1 in., longer ones with long jointed racHs, shorter
ones with very short joints ; racliis h a i i y , flexuose ; f e r t i l e flowers 2 to 3, with an uppermost
rudimentary flower on a slender terminal r a c h i l l a ; empty glumes 2, ovate-acute,
INDIAN BAJIBUSEiE ; GAMBLE.
•5 in., sti-iatc, many-nerved with conspicuous transverse veinlets, sparsely h a i r y outside,
one at the base of the spikelet, the other above; flowering glume similar, '7 to 1 in.
l o n g ; palea of lower flowers longer t h a n flowering glumes, narrow, 2-keeled, ciliate on
t h e keels, 3- to 5-nerved and hairy between the keels, divided often one-foiirth of the
way down into long hairy tails separated by a sinus, that of the uppermost flower not
keeled or ciliate, not, or only slightly, cleft, glabrous cxcept the acute tip, many-nerved
and transversely nerved; rachilla h a h y . Lodicules 2, lanceolate, acuminate, ciliate, v e ry
thin. Stamens long exserted, drooping, filaments purple, anlh&s yellow, the connective
produced in a blunt point. Ovary yellow, depressed-turbinate, stalked, surmounted by
a long style, bearing 3 broad feathery stigmas. Caryopsis about '4 in. long, glabrous,
cylindrical, with a somewhat broader top, spongy below, e n d i n g in a long beak formed
by the persistent base of the s t y l e ; pericarp crustaceous, sliiniug above.
Hills of Upper Burma in moist forests on ridges at 2,000 f t . elevation. A large
handsome bamboo of which t h e stems are g r e a t l y in request for buildiLig purposes and the
seed of which is eaten. It flowered in 1891. Our specimens were collected b y 3Ir. J . "\V.
Oliver, Conservator of Forests, or b y Messrs. Allan and Lowis u n d e r his orders. It has
also been collected by Abdul IXiik i a the Shan Hills for the Calcutta Royal Botanic
Garden. The hracteate, loose inflorescence, deeply-cleft lower paleaD and long entii'c
u p p e r ones at once distinguish this genus of two spccie?, and this species is readily
recognized f r om the other b y its larger size i n all respects. It is callcd Thanawa in Burmese
a n d Uai'ong by the Kachins. A considerable q u a n t i t y of seed has been collccted and
distributed, and many seedlings have been raised and planted in Dehra-Dun and
elsewhere. I have only found two lodicules, b u t I expect t h e thii-d is also o f t e n .present.
Pl a t e No. m.—Hujrsostachjs Oliver i, Gamble. 1, l e a f - b r a n c h ; 2, p a r t of the flowers
^orndQ-of natural sizi^; 3, culm-shcath—rirfwcff^ i ; 4, small flowering branchlet of p a n i c l e;
5, spikelet; 6, empty ghtme; 7, flowering glume; 8 & 9, paleas of lower and uppermost
flowers; 10, s t a m e n ; 11, lodicule ; 12, ovary, with style and stigmas and lodicules;
13 & 14, caryopsis. (All f r om J . W. Oliver's specimens of 1891.)
2. TnviiSOSTACUYS SIAME^'SIS, Gamlle.
A very graceful, ccespitose deciduous bamboo. Culms 25 to 40 f t . high, s t r a i g h t , not
branching till high up, l-o to 3 in. in diameter, usually covered with the persisrent old
culm-sheiiths, otherwise g r e y i s h - g r e e n ; nodes not p r o m i n e n t ; internodes 8 to 11 in. long,
w i t h a white ring below the nodes. Culm-sheaths 9 to 11 in, long, 4-5 fo 8 in. broad'
soft, thin, covered witlr fine white appressed pubescence on the back, striate, a t t e n u a te
upwards to a wavy truncate top, about 1-5 in. broad, produced at t h e margins into short
t r i a n g u l a r auriclcs; imperfect blade 4 to 5 in. long, narrowly triangular, the edges
recurved ; ligule narrow, -1 in. broad, glabrous, finely ciliate. Leaves narrow, linear 3°to
C in. long, -3 to '5 in. broad, rounded or attenuate at the base into a v e r y short (-05
in. long) petiole ; points short, t w i s t e d ; glabrous on both sides, or sHghtly pubescent
beneath when young; scabrous ou one edge ; main vein narrow, secondary veins 3 to
0, intermediate 6 to 7 ; leaf-sheaths striate, wliite pubescent and ciliate, truncate and
e n d i n g in a glabrous callus ; ligule very short, cihate ; branches after flowering often
producing tufts of wiry branchlets, with very small leaves. Inflorescence a large,
Ass. Boy, Bot, Gaud. CAtcuTTA, Yol. YII.