BAMBOOS OF INDI A

Bamboos of India
➤Fig. 66. P. aurea. A - leafy branch; B - culm with branches;
C - culm-sheath.
outer surface, covered with short white hairs towards the base,
auricles lacking, imperfect blade 3-6 cm long, lanceolate to
line 66
narrowly lanceolate bent downwards, some times wrinkled; ligule
1-2 mm high, fringed with long hairs. Leaves 5-8 cm long and
5-11 mm broad, lanceolate, densely softly hairy, almost glabrous
with rectangular tessellate veins on lower surface; auricles lacking
or rudimentary when present with three bristles; ligule 1 mm
high, long ciliate. Inflorescence a large foliate panicle, occupying
nearly whole stem, straw-coloured with deciduous spathes.
Spikelets 18-25 mm long, 2-flowered, glume usually one, papery;
lemmas glabrous, lightly inrolled; paleas with fine rough hairs at
apex, 2-keeled. Lodicules ovate lanceolate. Stamens exserted,
filaments 3-5 cm long; anthers yellow; ovary ovoid, glabrous; style long; stigmas 3 plumose. Caryopsis linear - lanceolate,
6-8 mm x 1.5-2.0 mm, grooved on back, style persistent.
Chromosome number 2n = 48, tetraploid (Chengde and Widjaja, 1995).
FLOWERING
This species is reported to have flowered in 1963. Gregarious flowering may occur when clumps are 15-30 years old
after which the clumps do not die (Chengde and Widjaja, 1995).
DISTRIBUTION AND ECOLOGY
This species is native of China. Cultivated at Dehra Dun and Mussoorie. P. aurea is frost hardy, grows on rich, deep and
well-drained sandy soils.
SILVICULTURE AND MANAGEMENT
This can be propagated by seed and by clump division. Seeds being rarely available, normal propagation method is by
clump division. Clump parts, 0.5-1 metre are taken having a rhizome, roots and one to several culm parts. They are
planted in previously prepared holes, enriched with organic manure (Chengde and Widjaja, 1995). Propagation by
tissue culture is attempted from shoot tips, nodes and leaves as explants and found successful (Zamora, 1994).
NATURAL DURABILITY AND PRESERVATION
Preservation of culms has been tried using cold soaking treatment. Boron penetration after an immersion period of 5
days was about 93 per cent for split and 79 per cent for unsplit culm parts. (Chengde and Widjaja, 1995)
USES
The species is cultivated as an ornamental. The culms are used for making handicrafts.
209