Melocanna arundina

Melocanna arundina Parkinson, Indian For. 61: 326. 1935; Bennet and Gaur, Thirty Seven Bamboos Growing in India 77. 1990; Tewari, Monogr. Bamboo 104. 1992. (Fig. 53).

Melocanna humilis Kurz, For. Fl. Brit. Burma 2: 569. 1877; Gamble, Ann. Roy. Bot. Gard. Calcutta 7: 120. 1896 and in Hook. f., Fl. Brit. India 7: 418. 1897; Camus, Les Bambusees 180. 1913; Varmah and Bahadur, Indian For. Rec. (n.s.) Bot. 6(1): 3. 1980.

DESCRIPTION An evergreen bamboo. Culms 3-5 m high, ca.2.5 cm diameter, dark green, very hollow, nodes hardly thickened, internodes ca.30 cm long. Culm-sheaths shining,cylindric, very short, rounded and inflated at the sinuate mouth, blade linear, subulate-acuminate, erect, decurrent into a narrow naked green stripe bordering the sinuses; ligule very short, entire. Young shoots with grooved depression at the upper part of the sheath, blade long, green, flagellate, attached to the centre of the groove. Leaves 10-15 cm long and 2-2.5 cm broad, lanceolate to linear-lanceolate, obtuse at the base, under surface slightly rough; petiole ca. 2-3 mm long, leaf-sheath glabrous, with long deciduous bristles at the minutely auricled mouth. Fig. 53. M. arundina. A - leafy branch; B - culm-sheath; C - young shoot; D - a portion of culm.

DISTRIBUTION

This species is native of Myanmar. It has a restricted distribution in Assam. Cultivated in Indian Botanic Gardens, Calcutta.

PESTS AND DISEASES

Brown leaf disease of M. arundina has been reported during 1986 in bamboo plantations in Assam Agricultural University. Lesions on the leaves eventually become brown. The causal agent was identified as Fusarium pallidoroseum (Deka et al., 1990).

USES

Culms are used for construction purposes and fencing.