Dendrocalamus strictus

I am neither a bamboo of great beauty, nor do I posess exemplary physical properties, yet I am perhaps the Old World's most important tropical bamboo. I occupy 53 percent of total bamboo area in India, extesnively propagated for paper pulp. Although other bamboos may have superior pulping charactistics than I do, I am extremely hardy, able to withstand temperatures from -5°C to as high as 45°C and therfore abundant, due to my rugged nature. I tolerate draught and low humidity, often thriving in environments marginally suitable for other bamboos.

My culms can be a little bit zigzag, and my branches will sometimes spread horizontally, but what makes me unique is that my lower culms are often completely solid, with no hollow center. This is particularly evident when I am grown in dry environments. For this reason, I am often used for construction, furniture, mats and baskets.

I prefer well-drained, poor, coarse, grained and stony soils. I occur naturally in tracts receiving as low as 750 mm of rainfall and also in extensive gregarious patches or as an understory in mixed forests and teak plantations. More Info...