17. Gigantochloa atroviolacea Widjaja

Local names

English- Black Bamboo
Assam- Kalisuneti

General description

Gigantochloa atroviolacea is an evergreen, perennial, loosely clump-forming bamboo growing 8 - 12 metres tall. The purplish colour of the culm is more prominent when it grows in dry areas. The erect, thick-walled, woody culms are 6 - 8 cm in diameter at the base with internodes 30 - 50cm long.Culm-sheaths deciduous ,15-20 cm long. Leaves 20-30 cm long and 2-5 cm broad, lanceolate, acute; petiole 3-5 mm long; leaf sheaths covered with white hairs. Inflorescence spikelets upto 18 in a cluster. Stamens 6; anthers 4-5 mm long, slightly hairy at the tip. Ovary hairy, oblong. Caryopsis elongate, oblong, cylindrical and acuminate.

Habit and Habitat

Tree form. Not known in a truly wild situation.

Distribution

Only known from cultivation, its origin is unknown. Widely cultivated in West Bengal. It prefers to grow in dry areas on soil rich in limestone. This species grows widely in West Java especially in Banten and Sukabani District as well as Central Java and brought to Indian Botanic Gardens Calcutta, 100 years ago.

Uses

In Indonesia, this species is used for building construction and for making furniture. It is also used for making traditional musical instruments and handicrafts. The young shoots are edible, turning yellow-pinkish after cooking.

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