苦竹(原变种) ku zhu (yuan bian zhong)

Arundinaria amara Keng, Sinensia 6(2): 148. 1935; A. varia Keng; Indocalamus varius (Keng) P. C. Keng; Pleio-blastus brevinodus W. T. Lin & Z. J. Feng; P. longqishanensis N. X. Zhao & Z. Yu Li; P. amarus f. huangshanensis C. L. Huang; P. subrectangularis T. P. Yi & H. Long; P. varius (Keng) P. C. Keng; P. yingdeensis W. T. Lin & Z. M. Wu.

Culm sheaths ± hairy, brown setose at base. Culms initially greenish, glabrous, glaucous, yellow-green when old, powdery-spotted. Branchlets not obviously pendulous. New shoots Jun, fl. Apr–May.

* Anhui, Fujian, Guizhou, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Sichuan, Yunnan, Zhejiang.

The shoots are bitter and inedible. The culms are used for woven baskets and containers, umbrella handles, and furniture.