Dendrocalamus longispathus (PROSEA)

Plant Resources of South-East Asia Introduction

List of species

Dendrocalamus longispathus Kurz

Family: Gramineae

• Thailand: phai-lammalok, mai-hokdam (North). Burma (Myanmar): waya, talagu.

Northern Thailand, Burma (Myanmar), Bangladesh and India.

Culms are used for temporary constructions, furniture, and mats. Young shoots are edible.

Culm up to 20 m tall, diameter 8-12 cm, wall 12 mm thick, glaucous green when young; internodes 25-60 cm long; nodes slightly swollen, bearing aerial roots. Culm sheath with dark brown hairs on the back; blade lanceolate, reflexed; ligule toothed with brown bristles; auricles membranaceous, bearing bristles along the edge. Leaf blade 20-30 cm × 1.5-3 cm. Inflorescence borne on leafless or leafy branches; pseudospikelet up to 6 cm long. Caryopsis ovoid. Found in mixed and disturbed forest, on rather fertile soil and along riversides. Propagation by culm cuttings of 1-year-old culms gives the best results. Fibre length of the culm is 2.70 mm, diameter 15.02μm, lumen diameter 3.39μm. Potentially, D. longispathus is also of interest for the rest of South-East Asia.

12, 18.