HOW TO IDENTIFY BAMBOOS

The best way to identify bamboos will depend upon the time available, botanical
knowledge and interest, and also the accuracy required. Different methods can be use
in identifying bamboos such as: photos and drawings, descriptions, living collections,
books, keys, herbaria and consultancy. Keys have a bad habit of requiring information
on parts of the plant that are unavailable. When a group of related plants is described
or revised, a key is usually given to separate them and narrow down the possibilities,
group by group, character by character.

IDENTIFYING BAMBOO ACCORDING TO ITS PARTS1

BAMBOO RHIZOMES

Fig. 01 identifying bamboo rhizomes (Source: www. Guaduabambo.com, quora.com)

 Length between culms and diameter (short and thick, long and slender)
 Rhizome Habit (props for culm, running over ground, running underground)

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www.guaduabamboo.com
  Buds on rhizomes neck (present, absent)
 Position of roots (at the nodal line only, random)

BAMBOO CULMS

 Spacing of the culms

- close together and forming clumps (diameter of the clump and
number of clums included)
- widely separated and not forming dense clumps

Bamboo culms remains its thickness for its entire life. The diameter of the
culm somehow depends on the diameter of its shoot. For example, if there is a 1”
diameter shoot, the new culm will be 1” diameter.

 Habit of the culms (strictly erect, erect and arching over, lying down, reclining,
clambering, climbing or hanging)
 Sizes of the culms (height or length, diameter)

Fig. 02 Identifying bamboo culms (Source: www.guaduabamboo.com and www.bamboobotanicals.com))

 Occurrence of the nodes (solitary, in close succession)

  Shape of the nodes (sides parallel, narrower below and widening above)
 Architecture of the nodes (single nodal line, nodal line plus nodal ridge
present, girdle present)
 Surface of the nodes (smooth, pubescent, beset with root primordia or root
thorns)
 Color of the internodes (green, bluish-green, green with white stripes, yellow
with green stripes.
 Surface of the internodes (Glabrous, pubescent, glabrous on the lower part,
becoming scabrous above, glacous)
 Shape of the internodes (hollow, solid)
 Contents of the internodes when hollow (empty, powder on inside walls, with
liquid)

BAMBOO LEAVES

Fig. 03 Image of bamboo leaf (Source: Lewis Bamboo Inc.)

Table 1: Bamboo leaves identification through sizes

GENUS SMALL MEDIUM LARGE X-LARGE

Bambusa /
Dendrocalamus /
Fargesia /
Guadua /
Indocalamus /
Phyllostachys /
Pleioblastus /
 Sasa /
Source: Lewis Bamboo

 Habit of the leaves (stiff, flexuous, erect, pendent)

 Color of the leaves (green on both surfaces, lighter on one surface than the
other, variegated
 Shape of the leaves (lance-shaped, linear)

 Size of the leaves (width and length)

 Vein structure (visible or invisible mid-ri, number of lateral veins, occurrence
or absence of cross veins)

BAMBOO BRANCHES

Fig. 04 Identifying bamboo branches (Source: www.guaduabamboo.com and personal.psu.edu)

 Occurrence of the branches (upper nodes only, all nodes)

  Habit and length of the branches (Main branches elongated and vine-like,
upper branches angled upwards, lower reflexed)
 Development of the branches (Intravaginal, extravaginal, both intravaginal
and extravaginal)

 Origin of the branches (produced at nodal line, produced above the nodal line,
produced from a specialized process)
 Number and arrangement
- Single branches, 2 sub-equal branches, 3 or more sub-equal
branches, 1 dominant branch with further branches from the node, 1
dominant branch (sometimes remaining as a bud) with smaller
subsidiary branches below or around it, or in apsidate arrangement
without a central branch
 Posture of the branches at node (appressed, horizontal, angled upwards,
angled downward
 Modifications (developing spines)

BAMBOO CULM SHEATHS

Fig. 05 Identifying bamboo culm sheaths (Source: www.guaduabamboo.com and www.nature.com )

 Duration of the culm sheaths on the culm (persistent, caduceus, tardily

deciduous)
  Variability of the culm sheaths (Same shape throughout the culm, thin and
long at top of the culm and wide and short at base of the culm, becoming
smaller towards top of culm.)
 Color and pattern of the culm sheaths when fresh (mottled, striped)
 Surface of the culm sheaths (hard, soft)
 Posture of the culm sheath-blade (erect, reflexed, horizontal)
 Duration of the culm sheath-blade on the sheath (remaining attached, falling)

BAMBOO INFLORESCENCE

Fig. 06 Identifying bamboo inflorescence (Source: www.guaduabamboo.com)

 Habit (erect, lax, dropping)

 Occurrence (terminating leafy branches, occurring throughout a leafless plant)
 Size (length and width)
 Color (Green, straw-colored, purple)
DIFFERENT BAMBOO GENERA IN THE PHILIPPINES

1. DENDROCALAMUS

 52 species
 Naturally occurs in: China, India, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Sri
Lanka, Burma, Thailand, Malaysia, Laos, Kampuchea, Vietnam, The
Philippines, Indonesia, and Papua New Guinea

2. BAMBUSA

 149 species
 Native to: Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh,
Burma, Thailand, Laos, Kampuchea, Vietnam, China, Japan, Malaysia,
Singapore, Indonesia, Philippines, Papua New Guinea, Australia, and
Madagascar.

3. GUADUA

 33 species
 the largest bamboos in tropical America
 Stems can reach up to 30m in height and to 20cm in diameter
 Native to: Mexico to Paraguay and Argentina, with a center of diversity
in western Amazonia.

4. GIGANTOCHLOA

 63 species
 Giant clumping bamboo similar to Bambusa
 Native to: Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, Indonesia, Philippines, Burma,
Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, China, India, and Bangladesh.

5. NASTUS

 25 species
 Genus of slender, erect, scrambling or climbing bamboo
 Mainly found in: Southern Hemisphere from Madagascar and Réunion
to Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands.

6. SCHIZOSTACHYUM
  62 species
 Tall or shrub-like tropical clumping, and sometimes climbing bamboos.
 Usually occurs spontaneous at low and medium elevations up to about
1,000 m

7. OTATEA

 10 species
 name derives from the nahuatl otatl, meaning "bamboo"
 Native to: Mexico, Honduras, El Salvador and possibly Nicaragua and
Costa Rica

8. PHYLLOSTACHYS

 63 species
 comes from 'phyllon', meaning leaf, and 'stachys', meaning spike

9. PSEUDOSASA

 20 species
 Small to medium running bamboo, originating in Japan, China, and
Korea
 Generic name derives from the Greek word "pseudos", false, and the
Japanese word "sa-sa" for small bamboos

10. CHIMONOBAMBUSA

 42 species
 Running bamboos with swollen nodes
 Grow native in China, Burma, Vietnam and Japan

11. INDOCALAMUS

 33 species
 Native to: China, Japan, Vietnam and Sri Lanka.

12. THYRSOSTACHYS

 7 species
  The genus Thyrsostachys is in the family Poaceae in the major group
Angiosperms (Flowering plants)

13. MELOCANNA

 2 species
 Genus of Asian clumping bamboo in the grass family

14. SASA

 Also called broad-leaf bamboo, a genus of running bamboo



15. ARUNDINARIA

 Genus of bamboos and canes in the grass family (Poaceae), found in

temperate areas.
 are woody perennials and range in height from 0.5–8 metres (1.6–26
feet).
 Sexual reproduction is rare, and colonies typically die after flowering
and producing seed.

KEY FOR THE IDENTIFICATION OF DIFFERENT BAMBOO GENERA1

RHIZOME

a. Species with sympodial, clump-forming type of rhizome

 Guadua
 Bambusa
 Dendrocalamus
 Gigantochloa
 Thyrsosastachys
 Nastus
 Melocanna

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Handbook on erect bamboo species found in the Philippines, Cristina A. Roxas, 20
  Schizostachyum
 Sasa
 Arundinaria
 Otatea
 Hibanobambusa

b. Species with monopodial, non-clump-forming or running type of rhizome

 Phyllostachys
 Pseudosasa
 Shibataea
 Chimonobambusa
 Indocalamus

THORNS

a. Member species with thorns:

 Guadua – all species with thorns

 Bambusa - some member species with thorns

b. Member species without thorns, very big in height and diameter, young culms are
covered with light to dark brown, velvety to rough hairs:

 Dendrocalamus
 Gigantochloa
 Thyrsosastachys

SIZE

a. Very big in height and diameter, young culms are covered with light to dark brown,
velvety to rough hairs

 Dendrocalamus
 Gigantochloa
 Thrysostachys
b. Member species are medium to small in size; thin to thick walled culms, green,
with or without purplish to brown lines or covered with yellowish stiff hairs; have
many branches of unequal sizes; leaves are big and wide to very narrow

 Nastus
 Melocanna
 Schizostachyum
 Sasa
 Arundinaria
 Otatea
 Hibanobambusa
 Phyllostachys
 Pseudosasa
 Shibataea
 Chimonobambusa
 Indocalamus

SMALL TO MEDIUM SIZE BAMBOOS

a.

 Nastus - member species are medium in size; thin-walled, young culms

are green, purplish to brownish, especially on the basal portion; branches
many of unequal sizes
 Member species are medium to small in size; thin to thick-walled; young
culms are green, covered with whitish waxy powder or yellowish stiff hairs;
branches many of unequal sizes; leaves are big and wide or very narrow

b. Member species are medium in size; thin to thick-walled; young culms are green,
covered with whitish waxy powder or yellowish stiff hairs; branches many of unequal
sizes; leaves are green, big and wide to long and narrow with striations

b.1. Member species are medium in size; thin to thick-walled; young culms
are green, covered with whitish waxy powder or yellowish stiff hairs; branches
many of unequal sizes; leaves are green, big and wide to long and narrow
with striations
  Melocanna
 Schizostachyum

b.2. Sasa – member species are medium in size, thick-walled, culm sheath
and leaves have striations

c. Member species are generally small, culms are green, with or without striations;
culm sheath with or without striations; leaves are small or big with or without
striations; leaf sheath is light green to pinkish with light brown bristles

 Arundinaria
 Otatea
 Hibanobambusa

CULM

a. Culms are green; leaves are small to very narrow, green or with striations; leaf
sheaths are light green to pinkish

 Arundinaria - Culms are green; leaves are green, linear or with

striations; leaf sheath is light green with light brown bristles
 Otatea - Culms are green, leaves are green and very narrow, leaf
sheath is pinkish

b. Hibanobambusa - culms have white striations, culm sheath has striations, leaves
are big with prominent striations

CULM SHEATH AURICLES

a. Dendrocalamus - culm sheath auricles are thick, young culms of member species
are covered with light to dark brown velvety hairs, node is prominent with aerial

b. Culm sheath auricles are low, firm, distinct, rim-like or small and inconspicuous

 Gigantochloa – culm sheath auricles are low, firm, rim-like; back of

culm sheath has dark hairs; young culms of member species are
covered with light to dark brown rough hairs; node is not prominent
  Thyrsostachys – culm sheath auricles are small or inconspicuous, leaf
blade is glabrous, back of culm sheaths has short appressed light hairs

CULM SHEATH

a. Melocanna – culm sheaths have 1 or 2 transverse corrugations at the top portion,

culm sheath blade is erect, culms are loose

b. Schizostachyum – culm sheaths do not have corrugations, culm sheath blades are
erect or reflexed, culm blades are erect or reflexed, culms are densely tufted

INTERNODES

a. Phyllostachys - internodes flattened or grooved at one side, in line with the

branch complement; branches two of unequal sizes

b. Internodes not flattened, branches more than one, some thicker than the culms

 Pseudosasa
 Shibataea
 Chimonobambusa
 Indocalamus

BRANCHES

a. Pseudosasa - branches 4-8, culm sheath persistent and longer than the
internodes; leaves linear lanceolate

b. Branches typically three; culm sheath deciduous, not longer than the internodes;
leaves broadly lanceolate to lanceolate

 Shibataea
 Chimonobambusa
 Indocalamus

LEAVES
a. Leaves 3-4, green, broadly lanceolate to lanceolate, pubescent beneath to
glabrous on both sides

 Shibataea - leaves 3-4, green, broadly lanceolate, face different from

part to part, pubescent beneath
 Chimonobambusa - leaves 3-6, green, lanceolate, glabrous on both
sides, sometimes have white striations

b. Indocalamus - leaves 3-4, light green, rough on the surface and chartaceous, 13.5
- 23.5cm long, 4.5 - 5.6cm wide