吊丝球竹 diao si qiu zhu

Culms to 16 m, 9–10 cm in diam., apically pendulous or long pendulous; internodes 34–41 cm, initially thickly white powdery, sparsely pubescent; wall 1.5–2 cm thick; nodes flat. Branches several, 1–3 dominant. Culm sheaths deciduous, leathery, initially with uneven, dark brown, spinous hairs;auricles small at lower nodes, larger at distal nodes; oral setae present or absent; ligule 2–4 mm, ciliate; blade recurved, triangular, base 1/2–4/5 as wide as sheath apex, adaxially hirtellous. Leaf sheaths initially hirtellous; ligule truncate, 0.5–1 mm; auricles absent or minute; oral setae scarce or absent; blade oblong-lanceolate, 11–28 × 1.5–3.5 cm. Pseudospikelets 1.5–2 × 0.5–0.8 cm; florets 6–8; rachilla not disarticulating, internodes ca. 2 mm. Glumes 2, cordate, 4–5 mm, ciliate; lemma ca. 0.9 × 0.9 cm; palea 4–8 mm; lodicules 3, ciliate. Anthers ca. 5 mm. Ovary ovoid, ca. 1.5 mm; styles 3–4 mm; stigmas (1 or)2–4, ca. 6 mm. Caryopsis unknown. New shoots Jun–Jul, fl. Sep–Dec.

* Plains. Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan, Taiwan.

Bambusa beecheyana is commonly cultivated in S Guangdong for its slightly bitter shoots.