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Useful Tropical Plants

Gigantochloa atroviolacea

Widjaja

Poaceae


This species was formerly part of one complex species, Gigantochloa verticillata[
310
Title
Plant Resources of Southeast Asia
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http://proseanet.org/
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Description
Lots of information on the uses of the plants of SE Asia.
]. Modern treatments generally accept that it is sufficiently different to merit recognition as a distinct species[
310
Title
Plant Resources of Southeast Asia
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Website
http://proseanet.org/
Publisher
 
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Description
Lots of information on the uses of the plants of SE Asia.
].

+ Synonyms

Gigantochloa atter nigra Gamble

Common Name: Black Bamboo

Gigantochloa atroviolacea
The black stems
Photograph by: Casliber
Public Domain
Gigantochloa atroviolacea Gigantochloa atroviolacea Gigantochloa atroviolacea

General Information

Gigantochloa atroviolacea is an evergreen, perennial, loosely clump-forming bamboo growing 8 - 12 metres tall. The erect, thick-walled, woody culms are 6 - 8 cm in diameter at the base with internodes 30 - 50cm long[
310
Title
Plant Resources of Southeast Asia
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://proseanet.org/
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
Lots of information on the uses of the plants of SE Asia.
,
361
Title
Bamboos of India: A Compendium
Publication
 
Author
Seethalakshmi K.K., Muktesh Kumar M.S.
Website
http://www.inbar.int/publication/txt/tr17/default.htm
Publisher
Brill.
Year
2002
ISBN
8186247254
Description
A very good book giving botanical descriptions of the plants with brief notes on subjects such as uses, habitat and range. It is also available to view on the Internet.
].
The plant is widely cultivated on a small scale in Central and West Java, and occasionally it has been introduced elsewhere in Indonesia (e.g. Southern Sumatra)[
310
Title
Plant Resources of Southeast Asia
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://proseanet.org/
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
Lots of information on the uses of the plants of SE Asia.
]. Outside Indonesia it is generally only grown in botanical gardens[
310
Title
Plant Resources of Southeast Asia
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://proseanet.org/
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
Lots of information on the uses of the plants of SE Asia.
]. The culms, and goods made from them, are sold in local markets, whilst there is also occasional export of furniture made with the culms[
310
Title
Plant Resources of Southeast Asia
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://proseanet.org/
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
Lots of information on the uses of the plants of SE Asia.
].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References


Range

Only known from cultivation, its origin is unknown.

Habitat

Not known in a truly wild situation.

Properties

Edibility Rating *  *
Other Uses Rating *  *  *
HabitEvergreen Bamboo
Height12.00 m
Cultivation StatusCultivated

Cultivation Details

Grows well in the perhumid lowland tropics, with an annual rainfall of 1,500 - 3,700 mm, relative humidity of over 70% and average temperature of 20 - 32°c[
310
Title
Plant Resources of Southeast Asia
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://proseanet.org/
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
Lots of information on the uses of the plants of SE Asia.
].
In Java it occurs mostly on red and reddish-brown latosols and lateritic soils, but it prefers drier limestone soils. In dry areas the purplish colour of the culms is more prominent[
361
Title
Bamboos of India: A Compendium
Publication
 
Author
Seethalakshmi K.K., Muktesh Kumar M.S.
Website
http://www.inbar.int/publication/txt/tr17/default.htm
Publisher
Brill.
Year
2002
ISBN
8186247254
Description
A very good book giving botanical descriptions of the plants with brief notes on subjects such as uses, habitat and range. It is also available to view on the Internet.
].
A slow growing bamboo, usually only 1 - 2 young shoots arise from the rhizome at the base of an old culm so that clumps are usually smaller than those of other bamboos[
310
Title
Plant Resources of Southeast Asia
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://proseanet.org/
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
Lots of information on the uses of the plants of SE Asia.
]. However, it has been recorded that 2 years after planting 15 culms can be present[
310
Title
Plant Resources of Southeast Asia
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://proseanet.org/
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
Lots of information on the uses of the plants of SE Asia.
].
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
Title
Plants for a Future
Author
Ken Fern
Description
Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.
].
Culms reach their maximum length within 5 months. The average growth rate is about 9 cm per day[
310
Title
Plant Resources of Southeast Asia
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://proseanet.org/
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
Lots of information on the uses of the plants of SE Asia.
].
Culm size increases with the age of the clump; average height is 3 metres in the first year after planting, 6.4 metres in the 2nd and 9.3 metres in the 3rd; average diameter increases from 2.2 cm in the first year, 5.5 cm in the 2nd, to 7.6 cm in the 3rd year after planting[
310
Title
Plant Resources of Southeast Asia
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://proseanet.org/
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
Lots of information on the uses of the plants of SE Asia.
].
Harvesting may start 4 - 5 years after planting. It is recommended to harvest only in the dry season[
310
Title
Plant Resources of Southeast Asia
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://proseanet.org/
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
Lots of information on the uses of the plants of SE Asia.
].
The average yield of mature clumps is estimated at 20 culms per 3 years (or with 200 clumps per ha, about 4000 culms per ha every 3 years)[
310
Title
Plant Resources of Southeast Asia
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://proseanet.org/
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
Lots of information on the uses of the plants of SE Asia.
].
Traditionally, harvested culms are immersed in running or stagnant water for 15 - 30 days and then air dried[
310
Title
Plant Resources of Southeast Asia
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://proseanet.org/
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
Lots of information on the uses of the plants of SE Asia.
]. Chemical preservation is possible by soaking the culms in a 5% borax solution for 3 days. Penetration in the walls of whole culms is about 50% for borax[
310
Title
Plant Resources of Southeast Asia
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://proseanet.org/
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
Lots of information on the uses of the plants of SE Asia.
].
Branching starts by the formation of some rudimentary branches at the first node from below. Then branching continues at about the 10th node from the top, followed by the next two nodes down, and then development continues both up and down the culm from this area until branches have been produced from all nodes situated higher than 2 - 3 metres from the ground[
310
Title
Plant Resources of Southeast Asia
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://proseanet.org/
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
Lots of information on the uses of the plants of SE Asia.
].
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.

Edible Uses

The young shoots are edible, turning yellow-pinkish after cooking[
310
Title
Plant Resources of Southeast Asia
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://proseanet.org/
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
Lots of information on the uses of the plants of SE Asia.
].

Medicinal

None known

Other Uses

The thin culm has specific features that make it suitable for the manufacture of the famous bamboo musical instruments angklung, calung, gambang and celempung[
310
Title
Plant Resources of Southeast Asia
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://proseanet.org/
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
Lots of information on the uses of the plants of SE Asia.
]. In the past the culms were exclusively used for this purpose, but the peculiar blackish culms have now also caught the attention of the handicraft and furniture industries, so that at present most of the culms disappear into these industries, creating a shortage of material to make musical instruments.[
310
Title
Plant Resources of Southeast Asia
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://proseanet.org/
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
Lots of information on the uses of the plants of SE Asia.
,
361
Title
Bamboos of India: A Compendium
Publication
 
Author
Seethalakshmi K.K., Muktesh Kumar M.S.
Website
http://www.inbar.int/publication/txt/tr17/default.htm
Publisher
Brill.
Year
2002
ISBN
8186247254
Description
A very good book giving botanical descriptions of the plants with brief notes on subjects such as uses, habitat and range. It is also available to view on the Internet.
].
The culms grow up to 12 metres tall, they are 6 - 8 cm in diameter at the base, the wall is up to 8 mm thick, with internodes up to 40 - 50 cm long[310. The canes are dark green when young, turning greenish to dark brownish-purple with age, with distinct pale or whitish rings at the nodes, covered by dark brown glabrescent hairs[
310
Title
Plant Resources of Southeast Asia
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://proseanet.org/
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
Lots of information on the uses of the plants of SE Asia.
].

Propagation

This species is only propagated vegetatively[
310
Title
Plant Resources of Southeast Asia
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://proseanet.org/
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
Lots of information on the uses of the plants of SE Asia.
].
Rhizome or culm cuttings. In an experiment in Indonesia, 1-noded, 20 cm long cuttings of one-year-old culms were used in a nursery protected against heavy rains. Survival rate was 60%. Transplanting to the field was carried out about one year later, when the plants were about 75 cm tall[
310
Title
Plant Resources of Southeast Asia
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://proseanet.org/
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
Lots of information on the uses of the plants of SE Asia.
].
Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2024-03-28. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Gigantochloa%20atroviolacea>

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