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Gigantochloa albociliata - (Munro) Kurz

Common Name Clumping bamboo
Family Poaceae
USDA hardiness 10-11
Known Hazards None known
Habitats The plant is common in low elevation mixed forest, but does not enter savannahs[310 ].
Range E. Asia - Myanmar, Thailand.
Edibility Rating    (3 of 5)
Other Uses    (3 of 5)
Weed Potential No
Medicinal Rating    (0 of 5)
Care (info)
Tender Moist Soil Semi-shade Full sun
Gigantochloa albociliata Clumping bamboo


wikimedia.org Matthieu Sontag (User:Mirgolth)
Gigantochloa albociliata Clumping bamboo
wikimedia.org Daderot

 

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Summary


Physical Characteristics

 icon of manicon of flower
Gigantochloa albociliata is an evergreen Bamboo growing to 12 m (39ft) by 4 m (13ft) at a fast rate.
See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 10. The flowers are pollinated by Wind.
Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils, prefers well-drained soil and can grow in nutritionally poor soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid and neutral soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It prefers moist soil.

UK Hardiness Map US Hardiness Map

Synonyms

Dendrocalamus albociliatus (Munro) J.L.Sun Oxytenanthera albociliata Munro Pseudotenanthera albociliata (Munro) R.B.Majumdar Pseudoxytenanthera albociliata (Munro) R.B.Majumdar Pseudoxytenanthera albociliata (Munro) T.Q.Nguyen

Habitats

Edible Uses

Edible Parts: Shoots
Edible Uses:

Young shoots are eaten as a vegetable[310 ].

References   More on Edible Uses

Medicinal Uses

Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally.


None known

References   More on Medicinal Uses

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Other Uses

Biomass  Fencing  Fodder  Furniture  Paper  Plant support  Wood

The woody culms are used in light construction (cottage walls, frames of thatched roofs), as trellises for climbing vegetables, for fence construction (typical in western part of central Thailand), tool handles (basal culm parts), furniture (with proper firing culms can be bent like rattan), woven wares and as raw material for paper and board[310 ].

Special Uses

Carbon Farming  Food Forest

References   More on Other Uses

Cultivation details

Fodder: Bank  Industrial Crop: Biomass  Management: Managed Multistem  Regional Crop

Gigantochloa albociliata grows naturally in the dry tropical mixed forest at low to medium elevations. It is found in areas where the mean annual rainfall is in the range of 800 - 1,300mm, and the mean annual temperature is around 28°c[310 ].. Succeeds in well-drained soils of poor to medium fertility[310 ]. Annual culm production in natural stands is 9 - 46 tonnes per hectare[310 ]. A 6 year old clump raised from a rhizome cutting produced 27 culms with an average height of 10.5 metres (ranging from 5 - 16 metres), with an average diameter of 20mm (ranging from 10 - 30mm). A mature clump in a natural stand in Thailand can bear 50 - 60 culms[310 ]. Bamboos have an interesting method of growth. Each plant produces a number of new stems annually - these stems grow to their maximum height in their first year of growth, subsequent growth in the stem being limited to the production of new side branches and leaves. In the case of some mature tropical species the new stem could be as much as 30 metres tall, with daily increases in height of 30cm or more during their peak growth time. This makes them some of the fastest-growing species in the world[K ]. Bamboos in general are usually monocarpic, living for many years before flowering, then flowering and seeding profusely for a period of 1 - 3 years before usually dying. This pattern can vary - sometimes flowering is sporadic, with plants flowering annually and not dying; at other times it is gregarious with all the plants in a specific species coming into flower at the same time. This species flowers both sporadically and gregariously. In Thailand, sporadic flowering is common whilst a flowering cycle of 30 years has been reported from Assam [310 , 361 ]. Seeds from sporadic flowering are often not fertile[361 ]. Normally, 3-year-old culms are harvested in a 3-year felling cycle, usually at the end of the dry season. Culms used for furniture need to be flexible and so are harvested when 2 years old, and cut close to the ground (the basal 1 - 2 metres is the most useful section because of the thicker wall), because 3-year-old culms are too stiff to bend and younger culms normally shrink during firing. Culms harvested at the end of the dry season are more resistant to borer attack[310 ]. Young shoots for food are harvested in the rainy season[310 ]. Traditional and chemical treatments are employed to preserve culms. Traditionally, culms are submerged in running water for 10 - 20 days. The culms are cleaned by rubbing with coconut husks or rice straw dipped in wet wood ash for a shiny surface, otherwise sandpaper is used. Chemical treatments include boiling the culms for 15 - 20 minutes at 95°c in a solution of 0.2% sodium carbonate or 0.1% calcium hydroxide, or at 80°c in a 0.3% copper sulphate solution. After the treatments, culms are washed with water, dried in the sun for 1 - 2 days, and stored in well ventilated rooms[310 ].

Carbon Farming

  • Fodder: Bank  Fodder banks are plantings of high-quality fodder species. Their goal is to maintain healthy productive animals. They can be utilized all year, but are designed to bridge the forage scarcity of annual dry seasons. Fodder bank plants are usually trees or shrubs, and often legumes. The relatively deep roots of these woody perennials allow them to reach soil nutrients and moisture not available to grasses and herbaceous plants.
  • Industrial Crop: Biomass  Three broad categories: bamboos, resprouting woody plants, and giant grasses. uses include: protein, materials (paper, building materials, fibers, biochar etc.), chemicals (biobased chemicals), energy - biofuels
  • Management: Managed Multistem  Regularly removing some multiple stems. A non-A non-destructive management systems maintaining the soil organic carbon.
  • Regional Crop  These crops have been domesticated and cultivated regionally but have not been adopted elsewhere and are typically not traded globally, Examples in this broad category include perennial cottons and many nuts and staple fruits.

References   Carbon Farming Information and Carbon Sequestration Information

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Propagation

Seed - Rhizome cuttings are planted, using portions of the culm 30 - 50cm long. For small-scale planting seedlings are also collected from the forest.

Other Names

If available other names are mentioned here

Bai mao ju zhu, Laix, Maihoushuan, Phai khai, Phai-rai, Phai-ruaklek, Russei khlei, Wa-hpyu-ka-le

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Found In

Countries where the plant has been found are listed here if the information is available

Asia, Australia, Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, Hawaii, India, Indochina, Laos, Myanmar, Northeastern India, SE Asia, Thailand, USA, Vietnam

Weed Potential

Right plant wrong place. We are currently updating this section. Please note that a plant may be invasive in one area but may not in your area so it’s worth checking.

None Known

Conservation Status

IUCN Red List of Threatened Plants Status : This taxon has not yet been assessed

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Growth: S = slow M = medium F = fast. Soil: L = light (sandy) M = medium H = heavy (clay). pH: A = acid N = neutral B = basic (alkaline). Shade: F = full shade S = semi-shade N = no shade. Moisture: D = dry M = Moist We = wet Wa = water.

 

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Author

(Munro) Kurz

Botanical References

Links / References

For a list of references used on this page please go here
A special thanks to Ken Fern for some of the information used on this page.

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