Bambusa bambos (L.) Voss.
Vernacular name: Spiny bamboo, Thorny bamboo
Species Name: Bambusa arundinacea (Retz.) Willd.
Family: Poaceae
Habit: Tall thorny bamboo
Stem: Erect culms 15-35 m tall, 8-18 cm diameter, thick-walled, grey-green with white rings at nodes; branches spiny.
Leaf: Linear-lanceolate, 10-25 cm long, 1-3 cm wide, scabrous margins.
Flowering: Gregarious (rare, 30-120 year cycle)
Flowers: Spikelets in large terminal panicles.
Fruit: Caryopsis (rarely produced)
Uses:
- Shoot tender for laxative; root decoction for dysentery.
- Tribal bows/arrows in Central India; mass flowering causes famine folklore; sacred to Gond tribes.
- The stems are used to make ladders, baskets, mats, bags, bottles etc.
