The most common bamboo of subtropical forest along the outermost foothills of the Himalayan range, often cultivated further into the hills. It has long leaf sheath ligules, naked triangular auricles on the culm sheaths, persistent pale fur on culms and long drooping culm tips. Var. hamiltonii has small red flowers. Var. edulis is found east of Darjeeling. It has larger yellow flowers, culm nodes with white rings and fewer curved branchlets, shorter leaf sheath ligules, more pendulous culm tips, and sweeter shoots. The culms of D. hamiltonii are thin-walled and very flexible, giving the best weaving material of all large bamboos, but the large branches make culms
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