Common Name:

General Information

Schizostachyum latifolium is a perennial, evergreen, clump-forming bamboo with short rhizomes. The erect culms, which droop at the tip, are 3 - 5 metres long, 15 - 25mm in diameter with thin-walled internodes 35 - 55cm long.
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use in making baskets etc. It is also occasionally cultivated.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

E. Asia - northeast India, Myanmar, Malaysia, Indonesia.

Habitat

Scattered in tropical lowland at elevations up to 1,000 metres[]. It is found in various habitats: in forest along rivers, forest edges, secondary forest and wasteland by roadsides[].

Properties

Other Uses Rating
Habit	Evergreen Bamboo
Height	4.00 m
Cultivation Status	Cultivated, Wild

Cultivation Details

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

None known

Medicinal

None known

Other Uses

The culms are used to make fine woven baskets ('seraung') and in Sarawak to make blowpipes, tobacco containers (part of internode, carved in low relief), baskets and other ornamental woven objects such as mats[]. Culms of Schizostachyum latifolium however, can be split into fine strips which are suitable to be woven into very fine baskets[, ].

Propagation

Seed -

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