Kingdom Plantae Family Poaceae Rank Species | Order Poales Genus Ochlandra | |
Similar Ochlandra, Oxytenanthera, Melocanna, Thyrsostachys, Schizostachyum | ||
The Ceylon reed-bamboo, (Ochlandra stridula), also known as Reed bamboo, and Forest bamboo, is a species of bamboo in the grass family). It is endemic to Sri Lanka. It can be found extensively in Ratnapura and Kegalle districts, in waste lands of rainforest and also along stream banks and I in forest gaps.
Contents
Habit
Ceylon bamboo is a short, small, pale green shrubby bamboo with about 2-6m of height. Clumps are crowded and are composed of a large number of closely growing culms.
Appearance
Culm is pale green in color, which is becoming brown on drying. Surface is rough. Culms straight. Internodes are about 20–25 cm in length and 0.6–2 cm in diameter. Walls are very thin. Aerial roots absent. Branching from mid-culm to top.
Culm sheath is green in young plants, where the become straw colored when mature. Culm sheath is triangular and broad at base, curved downwards at the tip. Sheath small and narrow-length of sheath proper 10–15 cm long and 4–8 cm wide. Auricles are small and sickle-shaped. Upper surface of the culm sheath is hairy and lower surface is without hairs. Sheaths are persistent.
Uses
Ceylon bamboo are used in make wattle-and-daub walls and fences. They are woven into mats, window blinds, screens and partitions. Leaves are used for thatching.