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DIVERSITY AND ASSESSMENT OF BAMBOO IN WEST BENGAL.

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 J. Econ. Taxon. Bot. Vol. 31 No. 1 (2007)

DIVERSITY AND REASSESMENT OF BAMBOOS IN WEST

BENGAL

S. MlTRA & SOBHAN KR. MUKHERJEE

Department or Botany, University of Kalyani, Kalyani-741235, West Bengal, India

ABSTRACT

In the present paper an attempt has been taken to reassess and enumerate all the species of
Bamboos native to this State and exotic species. The study revealed that 17 genera with 33
species and 3 varieties grow in West Bengal. A key is provided to all the genera, species and
their varieties for easy identification, along with their phenological data, ecological notes and
uses. Taxonomic notes are also provided wherever required

INTRODUCTION

T h e S t a t e W e s t B e n g a l c a m e into W e s t Bengal is stretching between the

existence with the independence of India in
1947, after t h e partition o f t h e t h e n B e n g a l
p r o v i n c e by Sir C r y l R a d c l i f f by R a d c l i f f s
line w h o s e e a s t e r n p a r t w a s i n c l u d e d u n d e r
Pakistan as East Pakistan ( n o w Bangla-
d e s h ) a n d t h e w e s t e r n part o f this line
remained in India as West Bengal, compr-
ising o f a b o u t 8 7 , 7 5 2 sq. k m a r e a b e t w e e n
2 1 ° 4 5 ' - 2 7 ° 1 6 ' N latitude a n d 8 5 ° 5 5 ' -
89°56' E longitude.
A t p r e s e n t , the State o n t h e n o r t h i s
b o u n d e d b y S i k k i m a n d B h u t a n , o n t h e east
by the A s s a m and Bangladesh, southern
boundary is delimited by the Bay of Bengal
a n d the w e s t e r n side i s b o u n d e d b y t h e
States o f O r i s s a , J h a r k h a n d , B i h a r a n d
Nepal.
h i g h H i m a l a y a n territory, w i t h m a g n i f i c e n t
pea k of Kanchanjungha in the north and
the rolling w a v e s of B a y of Bengal in the
south. T h e v a r i e d climatic, p h y s i o g r a p h i c
a n d e d a p h i c factors h a v e p r o m o t e d a
u n i q u e floristic c o m p o s i t i o n in t h e State.
The major landmass of W e s t Bengal,
e x c e p t i n g t h e s p u r o f t h e h i l l y tract o f t h e
w e s t e r n b o r d e r i n g States o f B i h a r a n d
Orissa, c a n b e d i v i d e d i n t o t w o natural
geographical divisions, viz. the northern
Himalayan division and the plains
comprising of massive Gangetic delta
e x t e n d i n g f r o m W e s t D i n a j p u r i n t h e north
t o t h e intricate deltic s y s t e m s o f t h e creeks
of South 24-Parganas.

78
 J. Econ. Taxon. Bot. Vol. 31 No. 1 (2007)

Based on varied and unique strictus w a s o b s e r v e d by J h o n et al. ( 1 9 9 5 )

p h y s i o g r a p h i c a l f e a t u r e s , t h e State m a y b e as 30 - 45 a n d 20 - 60 y e a r s r e s p e c t i v e l y . On
d i v i d e d i n t o 5-distinct v e g e t a t i o n z o n e s o r t h e basis o f t h e f l o w e r i n g characteristics,
the phyto-ecological zones. B r a n d i s ( 1 8 9 9 ) classified t h e B a m b o o into 3
T h e f a v o u r a b l e g e o l o g i c a l , e d a p h i c and b road groups, viz.
c l i m a t i c c o n d i t i o n s h e l p i n d e v e l o p m e n t o f (i) G r o u p of b a m b o o s - t h o s e f l o w e r e d
v a r i e d forests t y p e s i n different p h y s i o g r - a n n u a l l y o r n e a r l y so.
a p h i c r e g i o n s o v e r a n a r e a o f 13,370.46 s q (ii) Group of B a m b o o s - those flowered
k m i.e. a b o u t 1 5 % o f t h e total a r e a o f the sporadically or irregularly.
State. Of this total forest area, 0.2 m i l l i o n
(hi) G r o u p of B a m b o o s - those exhibit
ha. a r e a i s u n d e r t h e c u l t i v a t i o n o f t h e
flowering at l o n g interval of time.
bamboos.
T h e b a m b o o s o f this c a t e g o r y die
T h e b a m b o o s , poor man's timber, after flowering and producing
belong to the subfamily Bambusoideae of enormous a m o u n t of seeds.
the family Poaceae. This subfamily compr-
T h e b a m b o o s i n f l o r e s c e n c e i s small,
ises o f a b o u t 7 5 g e n e r a a n d a b o u t 1250
b o r n e at t h e tips of t h e prolific lateral
s p e c i e s in t h e W o r l d ( S o d e r s t r o m & Ellis,
b r a n c h e s w h e r e i t often c o m b i n e s w i t h t h e
1987; W i l i a m s & R a o , 1 9 9 4 ) . O f these,
other neighbours and forms a complex
a b o u t 136 s p e c i e s ( S h a r m a , 1 9 8 0 ) b e l o n g i n g
cluster. Infact, it is d e r i v e d f r o m a p a n i c l e
t o 2 5 g e n e r a are f o u n d i n India. I n W e s t
b y t w i n p r o c e s s e s o f c o m p a c t i o n and
B e n g a l , this g i a n t g r a s s i s r e p r e s e n t e d b y
reduction (Clayton & Renvoize, 1986).
17 g e n e r a a n d 33 s p e c i e s w i t h 3 varieties.
E c o n o m i c p o t e n t i a l : B a m b o o is o n e
B a m b o o s a r e c o s m o p o l i t a n i n distrib-
o f t h e p r i n c i p l e n o n t i m b e r forest p r o d u c t
u t i o n b u t m a j o r i t y o f t h e m o c c u r i n South-
which is inseparable from the h u m a n
E a s t A s i a . I n W e s t B e n g a l , t h e b a m b o o s are
culture d u e to its v e r s a t i l e uses. As a
g e n e r a l l y d i s t r i b u t e d i n t h e tarai r e g i o n o f
result, it is c a l l e d as friend of t h e p e o p l e ,
n o r t h B e n g a l , D a r j e e l i n g district a n d also
p o o r m a n ' s t i m b e r , C r a d l e t o coffin t i m b e r
in t h e south B e n g a l p l a i n s .
etc. S o m e m a j o r u s e s o f
F l o w e r i n g : F l o w e r i n g in t h e b a m b o o s
Bamboos in West Bengal are
is a m a t t e r of i n t e n s i v e b i o l o g i c a l interest
enumerated below :
and s p e c u l a t i o n . T h e r e is a f l o w e r i n g c y c l e ,
ranging from the constant flowering to Food : Y o u n g s h o o t s a n d t h e t e n d e r
constant sterility (Anantchote, 1987). l e a v e s o f t h e v a r i o u s s p e c i e s o f this g r o u p
Janzen (1976) reported that the flowering are c o oked and eaten as the vegetable, The
cycle o f t h e b a m b o o s v a r i e s i n 3 , 7 , 1 1 , 15, g r a i n s of Bambusa tulda are u s e d as the
30, 48 and 60 years of their age or f o o d g r a i n s d u r i n g scarcity.
s o m e t i m e s i t m a y t a k e p l a c e u p t o 120 Fodder : The young leaves of
years (Phylostachys bambusoides). T h e Dendrocalamus a r e u s e d as f o d d e r as t h e y
intermediate time for flowering in contain profuse amount of vitamins,
Bambusa arundinacea and Dendrocalamus p r o t e i n s etc.

79
Mitrd & Mukherjee
Building material : It is t h e p r i n c i p a l
usages of b a m b o o s The main bamboo
g e n e r a u s e d for this p u r p o s e are Chimnoba-
mbusa and Melocanna in Darjeeling
district a n d Bambusa a n d Dendrocalamus
i n plains. T h e i r c u l m s a r e u s e d a s t h e
pillars in t h e h o u s e , for r o o f i n g , for t h e
c o n s t r u c t i o n o f w a l l s a n d also for m a k i n g
the d o o r s a n d w i n d o w s . I n m a j o r i t y o f t h e
v i l l a g e s , t h e w a l l s o f t h e h u t s are m a d e u p
of "darma" - a t y p e of t h e partition w a l l
m a d e u p o f strips o f t h e b a m b o o c u l m s .
Pulp : It is t h e m o s t i m p o r t a n t s o u r c e
MATERIALS AND METHODS
of the paper pulp.
Medicinal : In A y u r v e d i c s y s t e m of
m e d i c i n e , for t h e b l o o d purification, l e u c o d -
e r m a etc, t h e e x t r a c t o f t h e l e a v e s o f the
Bambusa arundinacea (Retz.) Willd. is
used. T h e c h l o r o f o r m e x t r a c t o f the l e a v e s
of Bambusa vulgaris is u s e d against t h e
infection c a u s e d by Mycobacterium tubercu-
losis ( A n o n . , 1 9 8 8 ) . T h e l e a v e s e x t r a c t o f
the b a m b o o i s also u s e d a s a n t h e l m e n t i c ,
astringent, febrifuge etc. T h e extract o f t h e
l e a v e s of Dendrocalamus strictus is u s e d as
abortifacient.
Craft : O n e of t h e m o s t i m p o r t a n t a n d
p o p u l a r u s e o f t h e b a m b o o i s i n t h e craft
industry. T h e c u l m s a r e p r o f u s e l y u s e d for
the p r e p a r a t i o n o f b a s k e t s , b a g s , dolls, ash-
tray, t a b l e - m a t a n d m a n y o t h e r s f a n c y
d e c o r a t i v e as w e l l as h o u s e h o l d articles.
Storage & carrier: The internodal
p o r t i o n o f t h e c u l m s i s u s e d for t h e s t o r a g e
o f t h e g r a i n s b y t h e different tribes o f the
State.
Ornamental : Bambusa vulgaris var.
striata - G o l d e n b a m b o o or G h o t i b a n s h is
c o m m o n l y c u l t i v a t e d i n t h e p a r k s and
garden as an ornamental.
80
Miscellaneous uses : B a m b o o s can be
u t i l i z e d i n t h e p r e p a r a t i o n o f several
m u s i c a l i n s t r u m e n t s . D i f f e r e n t parts o f the
b a m b o o s a r e also u s e d i n t h e rituals o f the
Hindu religion. Besides these, m o s t of the
b a m b o o s p e c i e s are g o o d soil b i n d e r s , s o
t h e y p l a y a vital r o l e in t h e e c o l o g y as the
soil b i n d e r . A f e w s p e c i e s of t h e Dendroca-
lamus m a y b e u s e d for t h e r e c l a m a t i o n o f
the waste ground. T h e y colonize as pioneer
m e m b e r s , stabilize t h e r e a n d g r a d u a l l y
e n r i c h t h e soil b y t h e l e a f litters.
In the present paper an attempt has
been m a d e to enumerate the b a m b o o
species of W e s t Bengal based on the
literature, h e r b a r i u m d e p o s i t e d a t C A L and
o t h e r B S I h e r b a r i a , a n d also o n the
available c o l l e c t e d s p e c i m e n s from the
different p a r t s o f t h e State. T h e cultivated
b a m b o o t a x a are e x c l u d e d f r o m t h e p r e s e n t
study, b u t i n t h e e n u m e r a t i o n list t h e y are
mentioned properly with their cultivated
status. F o r t h e t a x o n o m i c t r e a t m e n t , t h e
concept of Stapleton (1994a, b), Majumdar
( 1 9 8 9 ) a n d C l a y t o n & R e n v o i z e ( 1 9 8 6 ) are
f o l l o w e d after critical j u d g m e n t s i n e v e r y
case. The phenological data has been
borrowed from the deposited herbarium
s p e c i m e n s at C A L , as t h e f l o w e r i n g in this
group is a rare and intermittent
phenomenon. The description of each
s p e c i e s is p u r p o s e l y p r e s e n t e d in a v e r y
p r e c i s e f o r m . A list of t h e t a x a f o u n d in
c u l t i v a t i o n in t h e State is g i v e n in t h e
a p p e n d i x . T a x o n o m i c n o t e s are p r o v i d e d
after t h e description of taxon where
necessary.
 J. Econ. Taxon. Bot. Vol. 31 No. 1 (2007)

KEY TO THE GENERA 12a. Filaments free; lemma 1 4. Cephalostachyum

12b. Filaments connate; fertile lemmas
la. Stamens 3 2 several 15. Teinostachyum
l b . Stamens 6 8 13a. Pales usually 2-keeled; filaments free 14
2a. Inflorescence completely bracteate 3 13b. Palea not keeled; filaments united 15
2b. Inflorescence totally or often partially ebracteate. ..4 14a. Culm-sheath broader than length; imperfect blades
3a. Stigmas 2; culms hollow or solid with thorns more or less triangular; all paleas keeled, entire or
derived from the culms nodes; internodes with shallow clefts 3. Bambusa
long 5. Chimnocalamus 14b. Clum-sheath longer than breath; imperfect blades
3b. Stigmas 3; culms flattened on one side, nodes long; upper paleas not keeled; other characters also
smooth; internodes short 13. Phyllostachys not as above 16. Thyrsostachys
4a. Rhizome leftomorph, i.e. culms well 15a. Pericarp thin, adnate to seeds, not separable to
differentiated than rhizome; all internodes seed coat 9. Gigantochloa
longer than wide 2. Arundindria 15b. Pericarp fleshy or crustaceous, separable from the
4b. Rhizome pachymorph, i.e. rhizome normally seed coat 16
develops to culms; root bearing internodes only 16a. Culms distant; lodicles 2; spikelets with
wider than length 5 1-3 florets 12. Melocanna
5a. Nodes with wide corky rings; front of mid-culm 16b. Culms tufted; lodicles absent; spikelets
bud scale initially closed; glumes with 1-6 florets 6. Dendrocalamus
1-2 1. Ampelocalamus
5b. Nodes without corky rings; front of mid-culm bud ENUMERATION
scale always open, with free margins; glumes 2 6
6a. Leaf lamina with cross veins between the long 1. AMPELOCALAMUS S. L. Chen,
veins 7 T. H. W e n & G. Y. Sheng
6b. Leaf lamina without cross veins between the long
veins 10. Himalayacalamus Clayton & Renvoize (1986) kept this genus
7a. Internodes about 25 cm long; lamina with in visible under the genus Sinarundinaria Nakai. Stapl-
eton (1994a, b, c, d) treated it as a separate
cross vein; pulvini absent 8. Drepanostachyum
genus; treatment of Stapleton (1994a, b, c, d) has
7b. Internodes about 50 cm long; lamina with strong
been followed here.
cross vein; pulvini frequent 17. Yushania
8a. Culms climber 9 Ampelocalamus patellaris Gamble (-Dendro-
8b. Culms erect, pendulous, arborescent, but not calamus patellaris (Gamble) Stapleton;
climber 10 Patellocalamus patellaris (Gamble) W.T. Lin;
9a. Spikelets one-flowered; palea Sinocalamus patellaris (Gamble) Nguyen;
rounded 7. Dinochloa Chimnobambusa jainiana C.R. Das & D.C.
9b. Spikelets 2-flowered 11. Melanocalamus Pal; Drepanostachyum jainiana (C.R. Das &
D.C. Pal) R.B. Majumdar; Sinarundanaria
10a. Culms pendulous, or if erect at maturity but
jainiana (C.R. Das & D.C. Pal) H.B. Nathani).
pendulous at its young stage 11
10b. Culms arborescent or erect but not pendulous.... 13 Fl. &Fr.: March - J u n e .
1 la. Leaf lamina with visible cross veins between the Common in the mixed forest, specially in the
long veins 14. Pseudostachyum north Bengal's Tarai region.
l i b . Leaf lamina without cross veins between the long Uses: Leaves are used as the fodder. Culms
veins 12 are used for the weaving.

81
Mitra & Mukherjee

2. ARUNDINARIA Michaux 6a. Anthers apiculate; leaf-sheath auricules small; oral

setae erect 4. B. nutans ssp. cupulata
Key to the species
6b. Anthers obtuse; leaf-sheath auricules large;
la. Bracts sheathing; culm 4-5 m tall. ... 1. A falconeri oral setae spreading G. B. tulda
lb. Bracts not sheathing; culms 1-5 m
1. Bambusa arundinacea (Retz.) Willd.
tall 2. A. racemosa
(=Bambos arundinacea Retz.).
1. Arundinaria falconeri (Hook. f. ex Munro) Vernacular name : Ketua (Hi.), Ketuasi (B.)
Benth.
Fl. & Fr.: March - July.
Fl. & Fr.: June.
Not very common, often found in the open
Uncommon, often found in the hilly tracts of places.
Darjeeling district.
2. Bambusa balcooa Roxb.
Notes : Majumdar (1989) has treated this
taxon under the genus Himalayacalamus Keng f. Vernacular name : Teli bansh (B.)
as H. falconeri (Hook. f. ex Munro) Keng f. Fl. & Fr.: Sept. - Dec.
2. Arundinaria racemosa Munro (=Fargeria Common, often grows in the moist soil.
racemosa (Munro) Yi. 3. Bambusa multiplex (Lour.) Raeus ex Schult.
Fl, & Fr.: June - October. & Schult. f. {=Bambusa nana Roxb.).
Uncommon, rarely found in the plains of Fl. & Fr.: Nov. - Jan.
tarai region. Cultivated in open moist soil and in the
Notes : Majumdar (1989) has treated this shady places.
taxon under the genus Yushania Keng f. as Y.
racemosa (Munro) Majumdar. 4. Bambusu nutans Wall, ex Munro. ssp.
cupulata Stapleton.
3. BAMBUSA Shreber.
Vernacular name : Jotia bftnsh (B.)
Key to the species Fl. & Fr.: Apr. - Dec.
la. Culms t h o m y at nodes l.B. arundinacea Common, cultivated in the Tarai regions
l b . Culms not thorny at nodes 2 and in Darjeeling between 300 - 1500 m altitude.
2b. Spikelets in dense head; plant tall, Use: Leaves are used as the fodder for cattle.
caespitose 2. B. balcooa
2b. Spikelets cylindric or flattened; plant arborescent 5. Bambusa teres Buch.-Ham. ex Munro
or shrubby 3 Fl.&Fr.: Dec. - Feb.
3a. Spikelets flattened; culms up to 15 cm in
Not very common, often found in the mixed
diam 7. B. vulgaris
forest. Some workers (Majumdar, 1989) placed B.
3b. Spikelets cylindric; culms up to 10 cm in diam 4
nutans Wall, ex Munro and B. teres Buch.-Ham.
4a. Culms 2 - 3 m tall, 3 cm in diam.; leaf tip
shaggy 3. B. multiplex ex Munro under B. tulda Roxb.
4b. Culms 5 - 30 m tall, 4 - 1 0 cm in diam.; leaf tip not 6. Bambusa tulda Roxb.
shaggy 5
5a. Culms up to 30 m tall; anthers
Vernacular name : Talta bansh (B.)
penicillate 5.B. teres Fl. & F r . . D e c . - Jul.
5b. Culms up to 22 m tall; anthers obtuse or Common in the cultivation in open moist
apiculate 6
places.

82
 J. Econ. Taxon. Bot. Vol. 31 No. 1 (2007)

Use: Thin strips are prepared from the positum Gamble; Schizostachyum munroi S.
culms which are used to make mats, baskets and Kumar & P. Singh).
also for the preparation of the paper pulp. Leaves Fl. & Fr.: April.
are used as the fodder for cattle. Culms are often
Common in the village, stretches up to an
used for the preparation of the walking sticks.
elevation of 1900 m.
7. Bambusa vulgaris Schrader
2. Cephalostachyum latifolium Munro (=C.
fuchsianum Gamble; Schizostachyum latifo-
Key to the varieties
lium (Munro) Majumdar; S. fuchsianum
(Gamble) Majumdar).
la. Internode portion green in colour, without any
striation 1. B. vulgaris war. vulgaris Fl. &Fr.: April -July.
lb. Internode portion yellow in colour, with brown Common in the subtropical forest, up to an
striation 2. B. vulgaris var. striata elevation of 2000 m.
1. var. vulgaris Cephalostachyum flavescens Kurz ^Schizo-
Fl. & Fr.: May - Dec. stachyum flavescens (Kurz) Majumdar).
Common in moist places. Previously this species was cultivated in
Indian Botanic Garden. Howrah, but at present
2. var. striata Gamble this species is not found in its cultivation place; so
Fl. & Fr.: May - Dec. this species is mentioned here, but not included
Cultivated in parks and gardens for its in the list.
ornamented internodes. 5. CHIMNOCALAMUS Hsuch & Yi

4. CEPHALOSTACHYUM Munro Clayton & Renvoize (1986) and Moulik

(1997) treated this genus under Sinarundaneria
Clayton & Renvoize (1986), Majumdar Nakai. But, Majumdar (1989) and Stapleton
(1989) and Moulik (1997) treated this genus (1994a, b, c, d) separated the section Chimnoca-
under Schizostachyum Nees as a synonym. But, lamus from the Sinarundaneria Nakai and
Stapleton (1994a, b, c, d) treated it as a good treated this as a good genus, which is followed
genus separating it from the Schizostachyum here.
Nees, which is followed here.
1. Chimnocalamus griffithianus (Munro)
Hsuch & Yi (=Arundinaria griffithiana
Key to the species
Munro; Sinarundinaria griffithiana (Munro)
Chao & Renv.; Chimnobambusa griffithiana
la. Culm nodes hairy; culm-sheath apex produced
(Munro) Nakai.
into an auricled tip; palea glabrous between
keels 2. C. latif'olium Fl. & Fr.: Jan. - June.
l b . Culm nodes glabrous; culm-sheath apex horizontal; Common in the subtropical forests of
palea hairy between keels 1. C. capitatum Darjeeling at an elevation of about 2900 m.
1. Cephalostachyum capitatum Munro ^Schi- 6. DENDROCALAMUS Nees
zostachyum captatum (Munro) Majumdar,
Meg. Horn.; S. capitatum (Munro) Majumdar Key to the species
var. decompositum (Gamble) Majumdar; Cep-
la. Anthers yellow; leaves narrow, 2 - 25 x 0.5 - 3.5 cm;
halostachyum capitatum Munro var. decom-
spikelets in spinous, spicate heads 6. D. strictus

83
Mitra & Mukherjee

l b . Anthers other than yellow; leaves broad, 10-50 x 1-shoot of the var. edulis are cooked and eaten as
10 cm; spikelets not in spinous, spicate heads vegetable by the local inhabitant of the Darjeeling
2
2a. Spikelets acute, dark red; culm-sheath densely hairy district. The leaves of the both taxa are used as
with golden brown hairs 5. D. sikkimensis fodder, it is believed that the fodder leaves
2b. Spikelets obtuse or blunt, other than red; culm- function as galactogouge.
sheath glabrous or thinly hairy 3
3. Dendrocalamus longispathus Kurz
3a. Culm-sheath auricle triangular; oral setae
Fl. & F r . . F e b . - D e c .
absent; spikelets purple in colour,
verticillate 2. D. Hamiltonii Common in the deciduous forests in the
3b. Culm-sheath auricle rounded; oral setae present;
north Bengal.
spikelets brown or other colour but not purple in 4. Dendrocalamus sikkimensis Gamble ex
colour 4 Oliver
4a. Culm-sheath broad, ovate or ovate-orbicular; nodes
Vernacular name ; Pugnang (Lep.)
hairy 1. D. giganteus
Fl. &Fr.: A p r i l - July.
4b.Culm-sheath elongate; nodes not
hairy 3. D. longispathus Not very common, often found in the ridges
in dry deciduous forests at elevation of 600-1000
1. Dendrocalamus giganteus Munro m or often cultivated.
Fl. &Fr.: Feb. - J u n e .
Uses: The culms are used for the prepar-
It is found in the cultivated condition in ation of the containers to store the grains and the
different parts of the States, specially in the north seeds. The leaves are used as fodder for the cattle,
Bengal. specially for the pigs; it is stated that the leaves
have high percentage of protein which is helpful
2. Dendrocalamus hamiltonii Nees & A m . ex
for the growth of the pigs.
Munro (=Bambusa monogyna Griff.).
5. Dendrocalamus strictus Nees
Key to the varieties
Key to the varieties
la. Spikelets 6 mm long, initially purple; anthers
reddish purple; leaf-sheath ligule broad and la. Spikelets without any silky hairs 1. var. strictus
serrate 1. var. hamiltonii l b . Spikelets with silky hairs 2. var. sericeus
l b . Spikelets 1-5 mm long, initially yellowish
1. var. strictus
brown; anthers yellow; leaf-sheath ligule
shorter. 2. var. edulis Fl. & Fr.: April - July.
Cultivated at an altitude of about 1000 m.
1. var. hamiltonii
Uses: The culms are used for various types
Uncommon, often found on the bank of the
of craft works, like for preparation of mats,
streams, specially in the north Bengal.
baskets, furniture and sticks. Leaves are used as
2. var. edulis Munro fodder. Grains are fried and taken as food during
Common in the deciduous forest and also scarcity of food.
often found on the bank of the stream in the
2. var. sericeus Munro
north Bengal.
Fl. &Fr.: Mar. - July.
Uses: Both the taxa are used for the weaving
Not very common, this taxon is confined to
and in the light construction work. The tender
the States of Bihar and West Bengal.

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 J. Econ. Taxon. Bot. Vol. 31 No. 1 (2007)

7. DINOCHLOA Buese Fl. & Fr.: May.

Common in the evergreen forests.
Key to the species
2. Drepanostachyum intermedium (Munro)
la. Culm-sheath hairs white, loose Keng f. (=Arundinaria intermedia Munro).
appressed l.D. compactiflora Fl. &Fr.: Apr. - Nov.
lb. Culm-sheath hairs golden brown, densely Common in the evergreen forests up to an
appressed 2. D. maclellandii elevation of about 2000 m in Darjeeling district.
1. Dinochloa compactiflora (Kurz) Mc Clure 3. Drepanostachyum polystachyum (Kurz ex
(=Melocalamus compactiflorus (Kurz) Benth.; Gamble) Majumdar (=Arundinaria polysta-
Pseudostachyum compactiflorum Kurz). chya Kurz ex Gamble; Chimonobambusa
Fl. &Fr.: April- July. polystachya (Kurz ex Gamble) Nakai).
Often found in the mixed deciduous forests Fl. & Fr.: Aug.- Oct.
at an altitude of about 1200 - 2000 m. Common in the evergreen forests up to an
Notes: Majumdar (1989) treated this taxa elevation of about 1500 m in Darjeeling district.
under Melocalamus Benth. as Melocalamus
mastersii (Munro) Majumdar. But, Moulik (1997) 9. GIGANTOCHLOA Kurz ex Munro
treated it as a good taxon under the genus
Dinochloa Buese; the idea of Moulik (1997) has Gigantochloa albo-ciliata (Munro) Kurz
been followed here. (=Oxytenanthera albo-ciliata Munro; Pseudo-
tenanthera albo-ciliata (Munro) Majumdar).
2. Dinochloa maclellandii (Munro) Kurz
Fl. &Fr.: April- June.
(=Bambusa maclellandii Munro).
Fl. & Fr.: Not recorded. Uncommon, often found in the upper tarai
region at the edges of the forests up to an
Cultivated at Indian Botanic Garden elevation of about 1000 m.
Shibpur, Howrah. But, no representative
specimen is found in the herbarium and in other 10. HIMALAYACALAMUS Keng f.
parts of the State.
Clayton & Ranvoize (1986) and Moulik
8. DREPANOSTACHYUM Keng f. (1997) treated the genus Himalayacalamus Keng
f. under Thamnocalamus Munro. Stapleton (1994
Key to the species a, b, c, d) separated these two genera and treated
separately. Majumdar (1989) also treated Himal-
la. Inflorescence on separate leafless culms; leaf- ayacalamus Keng f. as a good genus along with
sheath ligule less than 2 mm long 2 Thamnocalamus Munro, which is followed here.
lb. Inflorescence on leafy culms; leaf-sheath ligule
more than 2 mm long 3. D. polystachyum 1. Himalayacalamus hookerianus (Munro)
2a. Leaves without any transverse Stapleton (=Arundinaria hookerianus Munro;
veinlets l.D. falcatum Drepanostachyum hookerianus (Munro) Keng
f.; Sinarundinaria hookerianus (Munro) Chao
2b Leaves with transverse
& Renv.; Chimnobambusa hookerianus
veinlets l.D. intermedium
(Munro) Nakai).
1. Drepanostachyum falcatum (Nees) Keng f.
(=Arundinaria falcata Nees).

85
i
Mitra & Mukherjee

Vernacular name : Prang (Lep.) Common in subtropical mixed forests at an

Fl. & Fr.: April - June. elevation of about 1000 m.

Common in the forests of Darjeeling at an

15. TEINOSTACHYUM Munro
elevation of about 2000 m.
Clayton & Renvoize (1986), Majumdar
11. MELOCALAMUS Benth. (1989) and Moulik (1997) treated this genus
under Schizostachyum Nees. But, Stapleton
Melocalamus mastersii (Munro) Majumdar
(1994a, b) treated it as a separate genus. Here,
(=Bambusa mastersii Munro; Pseudostac-
the idea of Stapleton (1994a, b) has been followed.
hyum compactiflorum Kurz; Melocalamus
compactiflorus (Kurz) Benth.). Teinstachyum dullooa Gamble (=Neohouzeana
Fl. & Fr.: April - Jan. dullooa (Gamble) Camus; Schizostachyum
dullooa (Gamble) Majumdar).
Uncommon, often found to grow up to an
elevation of about 2000 m. Fl. &Fr.: Mar. - Aug.
Common on the forests edges up to an
12. MELOCANNA Trin. elevation of about 200 m.

Melocanna baccifera (Roxb.) Kurz {=Bambusa 16. THYRSOSTACHYS Gamble

baccifera Roxb.; Melocanna bambusoides
Trin.). Thyrsostachys oliveri Gamble
Fl. & Fr.: April - Oct. Fl. & Fr.: Mar. - Aug.
Common in the deciduous forests. Uncommon, often grows on the edges of the
Uses: The culms are used for thatching. mixed deciduous forests.

13. PHYLLOSTACHYS Sieb. & Zucc. 17. YUSHANIA Keng f.

Phyllostachys assamica Gamble ex Brandis Clayton & Renvoize (1986) and Moulik
(1997) treated this genus under Sinarundinaria
Fl. & Fr.: May - Aug.
Nakai. But, Stapleton (1994a, b, c, d) and
Uncommon, often found in the mixed forests Majumdar (1989) treated it as a separate genus.
at an elevation of about 1500 m. Here, the idea of Stapleton (1994a, b, c, d) and
Majumdar (1989) has been followed.
14. PSEUDOSTACHYUM Munro
Key to the species
Clayton & Renvoize (1986), Majumdar
(1989) and Moulik (1997) treated this genus la. New culms sheath base with prominent persistent
under Schizostachyum Nees. But, Stapleton hairs 2. Y. pantlingii
(1994a, b, c, d) treated it as a separate genus. l b . New culms sheath base glabrous or with deciduous
Here, the idea of Stapleton (1994a, b) has been hairs 1. Y. mating
followed.
1. Yashania maling (Gamble) Majumdar
P s e u d o s t a c h y u m p o l y p h y l l u m Munro ^Schi- (^Arundinaria maling Gamble; Sinarun-
zostachyum polymorphum Munro, Majumdar) dinaria maling (Gamble) Chao & Renv.).
Fl. & Fr.: Mar.- Aug. Fl. &F;-.:Apr. - Jun.

86
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 J. Econ. Taxon. Bot. Vol. 31 No. 1 (2007)

Common in mixed temperate forests up to alamus and Drepanostachyum with 5

an elevation of 2800 m. species a n d 2 varieties and 3 species
2. Yashania plantlingii (Gamble) Majumdar r e s p e c t i v e l y .
(=Arundinaria plantlingii Gamble; It is i n t e r e s t i n g to n o t e t h a t 10 g e n e r a
Sinarundinaria plantlingii (Gamble) Nakai; are r e p r e s e n t e d by a single s p e c i e s o n l y a n d
Butania plantlingii (Gamble) Keng f ) . 4 g e n e r a h a v e 2 s p e c i e s e a c h in their credit.
Fl. & Fr.: May. Further, out of 36 taxa of B a m b o o s reported
Common in the coniferous and broad leaf f r o m W e s t B e n g a l , o n l y 3 t a x a are exotic
forests of Darjeeling at an elevation of about 2900 and all t h e e x o t i c t a x a are t h e n a t i v e of
m. Malayan and M y a n m a r regions. There is no
e n d e m i c s p e c i e s in W e s t B e n g a l , b u t 3
Uses: Culms are used for flooring.
species, viz. Ampelocalamus patellaris,
Bambusa balcooa, Dendrocalamus polysta-
RESULT AND DISCUSSION
chyum w h i c h are e n d e m i c to India, are also
P r e s e n t w o r k r e v e a l s t h a t t h e State o f r ep t d f r o m t h e State
0 r e

W e s t B e n g a l sustains 33 s p e c i e s a n d 3
A c o m p a r a t i v e a c c o u n t of t h e different
varieties o f b a m b o o s , b e l o n g i n g t o 1 7
g e n e r a o f B a m b o o s a n d their species i n
g e n e r a , w h i c h i s a b o u t 2 6 % o f t h e total
credit a l o n g w i t h t h e i r d i s t r i b u t i o n i n the
b a m b o o t a x a o f India. O f t h e s e 1 7 g e n e r a o f
State a n d i n t h e c o u n t r y are t a b u l a t e d
b a m b o o s , t h e g e n u s Bambusa w i t h its 7
below.
species and 1 v a r i e t y is t h e m o s t diversified
a n d d o m i n a n t g e n u s , f o l l o w e d by Dendroc-
T a b l e 1. G e n e r a , their s p e c i e s and v a r i e t i e s a n d distribution

Genera No. of Name of the species Distribution

Taxa
Ampelocalamus 1 *A. patellaris N. Bengal, Sikkim, Naga hills, Arunachal Pradesh
Arundinaria 2 A. falconeri Tarai regions and N. E. India
A. racemosa -do-
Bambusa 8 B. arundinacea North Bengal & most parts of India
*B. balcooa West Bengal & Assam
B. multiplex N. Bengal, U. P., Bihar, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh
B. nutans -do-
B. teres West Bengal, N. E. India & N. W. India
B. tulda Bengal & Assam, wild in E. India, cultivated in
plains.
B. vulgaris Pantropical
B. vulgaris var. striata Pantropical
Cephalostacyum 2 C. capitatum Darjeeling, Sikkim, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh

87
Ultra & Mukherjee

C. latifolium -do-
Cliimnocalamus 1 C. griffithiana N. Bengal, Sikkim
Dendrocalamus 7 A
Z>. giganteus Native of Malay & Myanmar, cultivated
A
D. hamiltonii
Cultivated, Western-E. India, upper Myanmar
A
D. hamiltonii va
.-do-
edulis
D. longispathus Cosmopolitan

D. sikkimensis Darjeeling, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh

D. strictus Garo & Naga hills

D. strictus var. sericeus Plains of southern Bengal & in other deciduous

forests
Dinochloa D. compactiflora Bengal & Assam
D. maclellandii Bengal, Assam, Myanmar
Drepanostachyum D. falcatum Tarai regions, other parts of India
D. intermedium -do-
*D. polystachyum Darjeeling & other parts of India
Gigantochloa A
G . albo-ciliata Cultivated, native of Myanmar
Himalayacalamus H. hookerianus Darjeeling, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Khasi hills
Melocalamus M. mastersii E. Himalaya
Melocanna M. baccifera Bengal & other parts of India
Phyllostachys P. assarnica Tarai regions, Assam, Khasia hills
Pseudostachyum P. polystachyum Bengal, N. E. India
Teinostachyum T. dullooa N. Bengal, Sikkim, Khasia hills
A
Thyrsostachys T . oliueri Cultivated, native of Myanmar
Yushania Y. maling N. Bengal, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh
Y. pantlingii Darjeeling, Arunachal Pradesh.

A
* = Endemic species; = Exotic species.

Regarding the distributional pattern of T a W e 2 T h e n u m e r i c a l a n a l y s i s o f u s a g e s

the b a m b o o s i n the State, i t w a s found that 0 f taxa of b a m b o o

majority of the t a x a are distributed in the
m i x e d forests of Darjeeling district, Tarai S.N. Specific uses of the b a m b o o No. of
regions and in the plains of north Bengal taxa taxa
and only a few are cosmopolitan in
1. Edible
distribution.
2. Fodder
3. House building materials

88
 J. Econ. Taxon. Bot. Vol. 31 No. 1 (2007)

4. Mats & other craft materials 3 REFERENCES

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