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Chimonobambusa callosa (Keng. rawa, Dz. u, Nep. khare bans)                                   A43

 

A thorny bamboo, easily distinguished from all other Himalayan bamboos by the growth of solitary shoots from long spreading rhizomes, in addition to thorns around the culm nodes. Even without rhizomes and culms, it can still be recognised by the raised nodes on branches and even on small branchlets, or by the lightly hairy culm sheaths with small blades. Underneath the culm sheaths the culms often have mottled brown stains. The other temperate bamboo in the region with thorns around the culm, Chimonocalamus griffithianus from Sikkim and Meghalaya, may occur in Bhutan, but can be distinguished by its 

 

short rhizomes and culms arising in clumps. The local name khare bans is also used for the much larger Indian species Bambusa bambos, which has thorns developed from shortened branchlets, rather than from aerial roots on the culm nodes. This species is common throughout the cool wet subtropical broadleaved forest from 1,400m to 2,000m. It is not as dense as Yushania species, having well separated culms and graceful branches of yellow-green foliage. The culms are strong, but brittle and of little use, with the thorns making them very unpleasant to handle.

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