This species was formerly part of one complex species, Gigantochloa verticillata[]. Modern treatments generally accept that it is sufficiently different to merit recognition as a distinct species[].

Common Name: Black Bamboo

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[, ].
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)[]. Outside Indonesia it is generally only grown in botanical gardens[]. The culms, and goods made from them, are sold in local markets, whilst there is also occasional export of furniture made with the culms[].

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
Habit	Evergreen Bamboo
Height	12.00 m
Cultivation Status	Cultivated

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[].
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[].
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[]. However, it has been recorded that 2 years after planting 15 culms can be present[].
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[].
Culms reach their maximum length within 5 months. The average growth rate is about 9 cm per day[].
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[].
Harvesting may start 4 - 5 years after planting. It is recommended to harvest only in the dry season[].
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)[].
Traditionally, harvested culms are immersed in running or stagnant water for 15 - 30 days and then air dried[]. 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[].
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[].
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[].

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[]. 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.[, ].
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[].

Propagation

This species is only propagated vegetatively[].
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[].

Add a Comment:

If you have any useful information about this plant, please leave a comment. Comments have to be approved before they are shown here.

Name:

Email(Private):

Message:

Captcha: 6 add another 6 is?