Shrubby bamboos. Rhizomes leptomorph, with running underground stems. Culms pluricaespitose, nodding; internodes usually terete, usually with a dense, persistent, apical, yellow-brown tomentose to setaceous ring below nodes, rarely apically glabrous; wall thick; nodes usually flat, sometimes prominent. Branches usually solitary, nearly as thick as culms. Culm sheaths persistent, usually shorter than internodes, papery or nearly leathery; auricles usually developed; blade usually recurved, lanceolate. Leaf sheaths cylindrical, very thick, smooth. Leaves usually large relative to culm size, transverse veins distinct. Inflorescence largely ebracteate, terminal, a raceme or open panicle; branches usually subtended by tiny bracts. Spikelets several to many flowered, pedicellate. Rachilla articulate. Glumes 2 or 3, ovate or lanceolate; lemma oblong or lanceolate, nearly leathery; palea 2-keeled, shorter than lemma; lodicules 3. Stamens 3, long exserted; anthers yellow. Ovary ovoid; style 1, short; stigmas usually 2 (3 in I. wilsonii), plumose. Caryopsis dark brown at maturity. 2n = 48.

The culms are used for making chopsticks and penholders, and the leaves are used for weaving bamboo hats and wrapping glutinous rice.

Indocalamus amplexicaulis W. T. Lin (J. S. China Agric. Univ. 13(2): 86. 1992) was described from Guangdong.

Indocalamus chebalingensis W. T. Lin (J. Bamboo Res. 19(1): 6. 2000) was described from sterile material from Guangdong (Shixing). In the protologue it was compared with I. longiauritus.

Indocalamus confertus C. H. Hu (J. Bamboo Res. 15(1): 1. 1996) was described from Sichuan.

Indocalamus cordatus T. H. Wen & Y. Zou (J. Bamboo Res. 10(1): 18. 1991) was described from Jiangxi.

Indocalamus macrophyllus C. F. Huang (Wuyi Sci. J. 8: 171. 1991) was described from Fujian (Wuyi Shan).

Indocalamus pumilus Q. H. Dai & C. F. Huang (Acta Phytotax. Sin. 24: 394. 1986) was described from a cultivated plant in the Guangxi Institute of Forestry Bamboo Garden in Nanning, Guangxi.

Indocalamus suichuanensis T. P. Yi & Y. H. Guo (J. Bamboo Res. 14(1): 14. 1995) was described from Jiangxi.

Indocalamus youxiuensis T. P. Yi (J. Bamboo Res. 11(3): 53. 1992) was described from Sichuan.

At least 23 species: mainly China, one species in Japan; 22 species (all endemic) in China.

(Authors: Wang Zhengping (王正平 Wang Cheng-ping); Chris Stapleton)