Ripidium arundinaceum (PROSEA)

Plant Resources of South-East Asia Introduction

List of species

Ripidium arundinaceum (Retz.) Grassl

Family: Gramineae

Synonyms

Erianthus arundinaceus (Retz.) Jeswiet, Saccharum arundinaceum Retz.

Vernacular names

• Indonesia: galunggung (Sundanese), glonggong (Javanese), tibarau (Minangkabau)
• Malaysia: buloh teberau, tebu salah, riong
• Philippines: gatbo, lakbo (Tagalog), bagi-unas (Ilokano)
• Thailand: khaem (general), pong (northern), ta-po (Karen, Mae Hong Son)
• Vietnam: lau, ranh.

Distribution

India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Burma (Myanmar), southern China, Indo-China, Thailand, Peninsular Malaysia, Singapore, Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, the Philippines and southern Japan; possibly also elsewhere in Malesia.

Uses

The leaf sheaths are plaited into baskets, chairs and screens. They are strong, elastic and resistant to humidity. R. arundinaceum is considered valuable for paper making. The stems are used for construction purposes. In Java they have been used for the handles of the special device called "canting" applied in the batik process. A decoction is used to treat boils and skin complaints. Leaf buds are eaten as a vegetable. Young shoots are used as a fodder. R. arundinaceum is sometimes planted as a hedge. It is useful in breeding work in sugar cane ( Saccharum officinarum L.), to obtain better ratoonability, vigour, tolerance to environmental stress and disease resistance.

Observations

A tall, tufted grass up to 4(-7) m tall, with solid culms up to 2 cm in diameter. Leaves linear, up to 150 cm × 6 cm, long-hairy above the ligule. Inflorescence a dense, erect panicle up to 100 cm long; spikelets paired, one sessile and one pedicelled, 3-4 mm long, 2-flowered but lower flower sterile, with hairy base; lemma awned. Fruit an oblong caryopsis. R. arundinaceum occurs in the lowland, along watercourses and at edges of swamps, where it may be abundant. It is usually included in the genera Saccharum L. or Erianthus Michaux. However, on the basis of DNA sequence data it is different and may best be treated in a separate genus Ripidium Bernh., together with R. ravennae (L.) Trin. (synonym: Saccharum ravennae (L.) Murray), which is occasionally used in India for paper making, although the pulp is of poor quality.

Selected sources

6, 20, 61, 66, 71, 72, 111, 115, 136, 187.

Authors

M. Brink, P.C.M. Jansen & C.H. Bosch