篌竹 hou zhu

Phyllostachys cantoniensis W. T. Lin; P. subulata W. T. Lin & Z. M. Wu.

Culms to 10 m, to 4 cm in diam., straight; internodes to 30 cm, white powdery, glabrous or initially setulose below nodes; wall ca. 3 mm or more thick; nodal ridge conspicuously elevated, equaling or more prominent than sheath scar; sheath scar flared, glabrous or initially with margin brown setose. Culm sheaths green, unmarked, distally milky-white striped, otherwise usually purple striped, white powdery, densely brown strigose toward base or glabrous, margins purple-red or brown ciliate; auricles at culm apex green-purple, very broad, contiguous with and extending from swollen cupped base of blade; auricles absent on mid- and lower culm; oral setae absent or few, radiate, short; ligule purple-brown, slightly arcuate, broad, margin densely white ciliate; blade erect, broadly triangular to triangular, cupped. Leaves usually 1 per ultimate branch, pendulous; auricles and oral setae weakly developed or absent; ligule short, weakly or not exserted; blade 4–13 × 1–2 cm. Flowering branchlets densely capitate, 1.5–2 cm, scaly bracts 2–4; spathes 1–6, basal ones ovate, distal ones narrower and papery, to 1.6 cm, both sides and apex ± hairy, margins ciliate, blade inconspicuous to narrowly ovate. Pseudospikelets 2–8 per spathe; bracts narrow, variable in size or sometimes absent, membranous, keeled, 5–7-veined, pubescent on keels and near apex. Spikelets with 2–5 florets, distal 1 or 2 sterile. Glumes 1(–3), resembling uppermost bract, to 1.5 cm; rachilla internodes elevated, compressed and sparsely pubescent on side facing floret, apex truncate; lemma leafy, densely hirsute, many veined, apex acuminate with an awnlike tip, first lemma 1–1.2(–1.6) cm; palea shorter than lemma, 0.6–1.1 cm, densely hirsute. Anthers 4.5–5.5 mm. Stigmas (1–)3. New shoots Apr–May, fl. Apr–May. 2n = 48*.

* Forests, scrub, cultivated; below 1300 m. Guangdong, Guangxi, Henan, Hubei, Jiangxi, Shaanxi, Yunnan, Zhejiang [introduced in Europe and North America].

The shoots are edible, but the culms are brittle and not suitable for weaving. The straight culms, interesting culm sheath auricles, and pendulous foliage make this species suitable as an ornamental.