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Culms 3–6 m, 8–30 mm in diam.; internodes 8–20 cm, cylindrical, densely white-powdery, glabrous, rigid, nearly solid; nodes with prominent to greatly prominent supra-nodal ridge, waxy, sheath scar prominent to greatly prominent; branches 3–5, deflexed; buds ovate, yellow-brown, area near to margins puberulous. Culm sheaths slowly to quickly deciduous, leathery, triangularly narrowly rounded, apex triangular, brown-setose abaxially, longitudinal ribs prominent, margins glabrous or ciliate; auricles absent or obscure; oral setae few, yellow-brown, ca. 1.5–4 mm, erect; ligule 1–1.5 mm, nearly truncate, glabrous, blade linear-lanceolate, revolute, proximally slightly pilose, readily deciduous. Leaves 3–6 per ultimate branch; sheath glabrous; auricles absent or obscure; oral setae scarce, short, yellow-brown; ligule ca. 1 mm, truncate, glabrous; blade lanceolate, 3.5–8 × 0.5–1.2 cm, apex long-acuminate, base nearly rounded or broadly cuneate, both surfaces glabrous, secondary veins 3–5-paired, margins spinescent-serrulate, transverse veins elongated-tessellate, dense, not very clear. Inflorescence unknown. Name from the Latin albus, ‘white’, and cereus, ‘waxy’, referring to the densely pruinose young culm internodes.
Plants identified as B. albocerea were first introduced from Yunnan, China by Shanghai Botanic Garden in 1995 for Kimmei Nursery in Holland (Yunnan 1, 2, 3a & 3b), and since then other introductions have also been made under this rather vague name. Collection localities usually unrecorded.
Many Borinda species have substantial white wax on the culm internodes, but the degree of waxiness is quite variable within species, and this character should be used with caution in their identification. The more critical characters for species recognition suggest most of the bamboos cultivated under this name would qualify as Borinda papyrifera instead, especially as they have eventually produced setose culm internodes, while the description of this species states internodes glabrous.
Further work required. Meanwhile bamboos grown under this name should be referred to by their introduction clone name & number as well, e.g. B. albocerea ‘Yunnan 95 - 3a’.
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