Dendrocalamus membranaceus

Fast-growing evergreen bamboo reaching 15m tall and 4m wide. Hardy to UK zone 10. Tolerates light sandy, medium loamy, and heavy clay soils with good drainage. Grows in mildly acid to mildly alkaline conditions. Adapts to semi-shade or full sun, and handles both dry and moist soil with drought tolerance. Wind-pollinated flowers.

Description

A bamboo which forms an open clump. The culm or stem is very straight. It grows 20-24 m high. It is 6-10 cm across. It has a white powdery covering over it when young. It turns green on maturity. The internodes are 22-38 cm long. The lower node has aerial roots. There are branches from the nodes. The culm sheath is 30-50 cm long by 12-20 cm wide. The leaf blade is sword shaped and 12-25 cm long by 1.5-2.5 cm wide. It is thin and pale. It tapers to the tip. The flowering stalks are on leafless branches.

Edible Uses

The young shoots are edible. They have a slightly bitter taste but are considered excellent for processing due to their nearly smooth surface and ease of handling.

Traditional Uses

The shoots are eaten. They can be cooked and dried and preserved.

This uses section is brief — help expand it

Medicinal Uses

None known

Distribution

A tropical plant. It grows in tropical mixed deciduous and monsoon forest. It grows below 1,000 m altitude. The minimum temperature is 14.5°C and average maximum is 33.3°C. The average rainfall is 950 mm. In Yunnan.

Where It Grows

Asia, Australia, Cambodia, China, India, Indochina, Indonesia, Laos, Myanmar, SE Asia, Thailand, USA, Vietnam,

Cultivation

This species is most commonly found in tropical mixed deciduous or monsoon forest at elevations below 1,000 metres. In northeastern Thailand, where it is native, the annual average minimum temperature is 21.7?c (ranging from 14.5 - 25.6?c) and average maximum temperature 33.3?c (ranging from 30.5 - 38.1?c). The average annual rainfall is 950mm with a dry season of about 5 months. Prefers a moist laterite or black limestone soil, but plants can tolerate arid and barren conditions. Bamboos have an interesting method of growth. Each plant produces a number of new stems annually - these stems grow to their maximum height in their first year of growth, subsequent growth in the stem being limited to the production of new side branches and leaves. In the case of some mature tropical species the new stem could be as much as 30 metres tall, with daily increases in height of 30cm or more during their peak growth time. This makes them some of the fastest-growing species in the world. Bamboos in general are usually monocarpic, living for many years before flowering, then flowering and seeding profusely for a period of 1 - 3 years before usually dying.

Propagation

Seed in this genus is generally short-lived and should be sown within 2–3 months of harvest. Sow in containers in a lightly shaded position, barely covering the seed. Germination usually takes place readily. Prick seedlings out into individual pots as soon as they are large enough to handle, and plant out into permanent positions when 20 cm tall. Plants may remain in a low-growing juvenile state for several years — cutting culms to ground level can stimulate taller adult growth. Rhizome, culm, and branch cuttings can also be used. Propagules are raised in a nursery until rooted, then planted out in the field before or during the first half of the rainy season.

Other Uses

The plant's large root system helps to prevent soil erosion. The culms are used in building construction, bamboo board, furniture, basketry, matting, and handicrafts, and as props for fruit trees. They are considered very promising for paper pulp production. Culm harvesting may begin 3–4 years after a clump has started producing culms of maximum size. Only culms older than 3 years are suitable for harvest, and cutting should never take place during the growing season. Culms should be cut no lower than 30 cm above ground level and not below the 2nd node. Debris and cut branches must be removed completely after harvesting.

Production

The average fresh weight of young shoots is 1167 g and the edible portion is 40%.

Other Information

It is a cultivated food plant. It is sold in local markets.

Notes

There are about 29 Dendrocalamus species.

Synonyms

Also Known As

A ha a bi, Aowang, Cha chu, Hok haix, Hmyin-phyu, Hyyin-wa, Hmyinwa-aphyu, Hmyin-wa-gyi, Lao gang, Maisang, Mai ya, Phai-nuan, Phai-sangdoi, Phai-sangnuan, Rusey srok, S'ang, Wamu, Wapyu, Waya

References (17)

• Anderson, E. F., 1993, Plants and people of the Golden Triangle. Dioscorides Press. p 209
• A Rapid Participatory Biodiversity Assessment. 2007, Southern Lao PDR. IUCN p 42 (As Dendrocalamus longifimbriatus)
• Cao, Y., et al, 2020, Ethnobotanical study on wild edible plants used by three trans-boundary ethnic groups in Jiangcheng County, Pu’er, Southwest China. Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine (2020) 16:66
• Cengel, D. J. & Dany, C., (Eds), 2016, Integrating Forest Biodiversity Resource Management and Sustainable Community Livelihood Development in the Preah Vihear Protected Forest. International Tropical Timber Organization p 125
• Delang, C. O., 2007, Ecological Succession of Usable Plants in an Eleven-Year Fallow Cycle in North Lao P.D.R., Ethnobotany Research and Applications. Vol. 5:331-350

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