Common Name:

General Information

Melocalamus compactiflorus is a clump-forming, evergreen, scrambling, densely tufted bamboo growing 10 - 33 metres tall. The slightly zigzag, solid culms are around 12 - 25mm in diameter with a relatively thick wall and internodes 20 - 60cm long[, ].
The plant is harvested from the wild for its edible seed and the culms that are used in weaving.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

E. Asia - southern China, India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam.

Habitat

Climbing into trees in evergreen or secondary forest, and forming thickets in open clearings; at elevations up to 1,700 metres[, ].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Evergreen Bamboo
Height	15.00 m
Pollinators	Wind
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

A plant of the moist to wet tropics, where it is found at elevations from sea level to around 1,700 metres[]. It grows best in areas where the mean annual temperature falls within the range 20 - 29°c, but can tolerate 15 - 34°c[]. It prefers a mean annual rainfall of 1,000 - 2,000mm, but can tolerate 600 - 4,400mm[].
Grows best in a fertile soil on the heavy side[]. Succeeds in full sun or light shade[]. Prefers a pH in the range 5.5 - 6.5, but tolerates 5 - 7[].
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[].
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

Seeds - large and mealy, resembling chestnuts[]. The seeds are globular and much like a miniature wood-apple in shape; the testa is somewhat leathery. The fruit is 25 to 37mm in diameter and fleshy[].

Medicinal

None known

Other Uses

The culms are used for making crude baskets[, ].
Fibrous layers of the internodes, which are pliable and soft, are twisted into strands and shoes/sandals are made by interlacing them[, ].

Propagation

Seed - if sown when fresh it germinates very freely[].

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