Plants small, shrublike, or arborescent, spreading and densely clumped; rhizomes leptomorph. Culms pluricaespitose, erect to drooping, 0.5–13 m tall, to 6 cm thick; internodes terete or moderately grooved; nodes not greatly swollen; supra-nodal ridge not evident. Branch buds tall, prophylls 2-keeled, initially closed at front, without promontory. Branches erect, initially 1–3 per node, short or long, central slightly dominant with basal nodes compressed, branches always fully sheathed, without replication of lateral branches, sheaths and prophylls ± glabrous. Culm sheaths deciduous to very persistent, tough; blade erect or reflexed, narrowly triangular to strap-shaped. Leaf sheaths persistent; blades moderately large for size of culm, without marginal necrosis in winter, arrangement random, transverse veins distinct. Inflorescence an open raceme or panicle; branching subtended by large or small bracts. Spikelets 2–20 cm; rachilla sinuous, disarticulation below florets; florets 3–30. Glumes 2, shorter than first lemma; lemma to 1 cm. Palea 2-keeled. Stamens 3. Stigmas 3.

Taxa incertae sedis

Pseudosasa membraniligulata B. M. Yang (Bamboo Res. 1989(2): 3. 1989) was described from Hunan. It is difficult to decide the identity of this species because the type specimen (B. M. Yang 06537, HNNU) is abnormal. According to G. Y. Yang’s Ph.D. dissertation, it does not belong to Pseudosasa.

Pseudosasa pubicicatrix W. T. Lin (J. Bamboo Res. 13(2): 22. 1994, “pubioicatrix”) was described from Hainan. According to G. Y. Yang’s Ph.D. dissertation, the holotype specimen (Huang Quan 0002, CANT) is a mixture, which probably includes elements of three different genera: the culm sheaths look like P. hindsii, whereas the culms look like Indocalamus, and the leafy branches are Bambusa.

Nineteen species: China, Japan, Korea; 18 species (17 endemic, one introduced) in China.

(Authors: Zhu Zhengde (朱政德 Chu Cheng-de), Li Dezhu (李德铢); Chris Stapleton)