长枝竹 chang zhi zhu

Leleba dolichoclada (Hayata) Odashima.

Culms 10–15 m, 4.5–8 cm in diam., basally erect, apically slightly drooping; internodes 30–45 cm, initially thinly white powdery; wall slightly thick; nodes flat, lower several with rings of gray-white silky hairs; branching from basal node up. Branches 3 to many per node, central 3 dominant. Culm sheaths deciduous, leathery, thinly white powdery, densely shortly stiffly brown hairy around apex and upper parts of both sides, apex slightly slanted along one side and slightly asymmetrical, broadly arched, sometimes subtruncate; auricles usually slightly wrinkled with obtuse ends, obviously unequal; larger auricle oblong or narrowly ovate, 2–2.5 × 0.8–1 cm, smaller auricle ovate or elliptic, to 1/3 size of larger one; oral setae undulate, densely covering margins and adaxial surface; ligule 3–4 mm, slightly dentate, fringed with hairs ca. 5 mm; blade deciduous, erect, asymmetrically ovate-triangular, base slightly narrowed and then joined with auricles for 3–5 mm, nearly 2/3 width of sheath apex, abaxially sparsely stiffly dull brown hairy, adaxially densely stiffly pale brown hairy between veins, apex acuminate, apiculate. Leaf blade linear to linear-lanceolate, 10–26 × 1–2.3 cm, abaxially pubescent, adaxially glabrous and glossy. Pseudospikelets in clusters of 3–9 at nodes of flowering branches. Spikelets linear, 3–4 × 0.6–0.8 cm; florets 4–12 preceded by several gemmiferous bracts. Glumes 2, ovate or oval, 2–4.5 mm, 14-veined, apex acute; lemma ovate, ca. 9 mm, 18–20-veined, apex acute; palea ca. 8.5 mm, keels densely ciliolate. Anthers yellow, ca. 4.5 mm, apex emarginate. Ovary obovoid, ca. 2 mm, apex sparsely hispidulous; style very short; stigmas 3.

* Forest margins, around villages; below 300 m. Fujian, Taiwan.

A cultivar, Bambusa dolichoclada 'Stripe' (条纹长枝竹 tiao wen chang zhi zhu) is cultivated in S Taiwan. This differs from the typical plant by its yellow-green culms and branches, later becoming pale yellow with deep green stripes, and its pale green culm sheaths, initially with several fine milky-yellow stripes.