白背玉山竹 bai bei yu shan zhu

Rhizome neck 15–45 cm. Culms 3–7 m, 1.1–1.7 cm in diam.; internodes terete, 26–33 cm, initially thickly white powdery, glabrous; wall 2.5–5 mm thick; nodes with weakly prominent supra-nodal ridge; sheath scar prominent, woody. Branches 3–5, roughly horizontal. Culm sheaths persistent, abaxially purple spotted, narrowly rounded, 1/3–1/2 as long as internodes, cartilaginous, glabrous, longitudinal ribs purple, margins glabrous; auricles prominent, purple-red, falcate; oral setae many, radiating, 3–4 mm; ligule arcuate, 1–4 mm; blade erect, triangular or lanceolate, glabrous, base excurrent. Leaves 1–5 per ultimate branch; leaf sheath margins glabrous; auricles gradually deciduous, oblong or falcate; oral setae present; ligule inclined, 1–2 mm; blade abaxially pale, lanceolate, 4–13.5 × (0.7–)1.1–1.7 cm, glabrous, secondary veins 3–5-paired, transverse veins dense, thin, tessellate, base cuneate or broadly cuneate, margins serrulate.Inflorescence unknown. New shoots May.

* 2500–3200 m. S Sichuan.

This species would appear to be very similar to the preceding one.

The shoots are an important food for the giant panda.