Petung or bamboo betung or dragon bamboo or giant bamboo (Dendrocalamus asper) is a species of plant in the Poaceae, large and strong stems, high adaptability, used as building material and structural wood for construction and cooked shoots for vegetables.
D. asper grows in clumps, the shoots are purplish black and covered by blackish brown velvet. 20 m high with curved ends, 40-50 cm long, 12-20 cm in diameter and 1-4 cm thick. Green or dark green or purplish green or whitish green or mottled white by lichen.
The margins of the internodes are surrounded by hanging roots, the reed midrib 50x25 cm, covered by blackish brown velvet, the ears are rounded and sometimes curled to the base of the reed midrib leaf, 7 mm high with jute hairs up to 5 mm. Ligula serrated irregularly, 7-10 mm high with short bristles up to 3 mm.
The leaves of the reed midrib are triangular with a narrowed base and bent back. Leaves on twigs with loose midrib or sparsely pale, without ears, ligular 2 mm, strands 15-45x1-8.5 cm, slightly hairy underside and short petioles.
Flowers in panicles on leafless twigs with clusters of spikelets on each internode. The spikelets are ellipsoidal, 6-9x4-5 mm, flattened to the sides, have 1-2 gluma and 4-5 florets.
Giant bamboo grows best at an altitude of 400-500 m, average rainfall 2,400 mm/year, temperature 25F, likes lots of sun and moist and fertile alluvial soil, but is also able to grow up to 1910 m elevation and places dry.
Petung grows by spreading roots and rhizomes underground. The speed of spreading is determined by the type of soil and the local climate. Rhizomes in the soil can be cut if desired and if separated from the main clump they will usually die.
Thick, strong and durable stem at 8% moisture content has a wood density of 0.7-0.8 g/cm3, at 15% moisture content it has a fracture strength of 103 N/mm2, the compressive strength parallel to the fiber direction is 31 N/mm2 and the tensile strength is 31 N/mm2. shear is 7.3 N/mm2.
Bamboo betung is used as a building material and structural wood for the construction of a wide variety of buildings including house posts, boats, tobacco shed frames, bridges, waterways, musical instruments, furniture, household and handicraft utensils, laminated boards, pulp, chopsticks, toothpicks and etc.
The large and sweet shoots are favored by people for pickling and various dishes. The quality of these shoots is considered the best compared to shoots of other bamboo species as food ingredients, including when canned.
Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Subphylum: Angiospermae
Class: Liliopsida
Order: Poales
Family: Poaceae
Subfamily: Bambusoideae
Tribe: Bambuseae
Subtribe: Bambusinae
Genus: Dendrocalamus
Species: Dendrocalamus asper
D. asper grows in clumps, the shoots are purplish black and covered by blackish brown velvet. 20 m high with curved ends, 40-50 cm long, 12-20 cm in diameter and 1-4 cm thick. Green or dark green or purplish green or whitish green or mottled white by lichen.
The margins of the internodes are surrounded by hanging roots, the reed midrib 50x25 cm, covered by blackish brown velvet, the ears are rounded and sometimes curled to the base of the reed midrib leaf, 7 mm high with jute hairs up to 5 mm. Ligula serrated irregularly, 7-10 mm high with short bristles up to 3 mm.
The leaves of the reed midrib are triangular with a narrowed base and bent back. Leaves on twigs with loose midrib or sparsely pale, without ears, ligular 2 mm, strands 15-45x1-8.5 cm, slightly hairy underside and short petioles.
Flowers in panicles on leafless twigs with clusters of spikelets on each internode. The spikelets are ellipsoidal, 6-9x4-5 mm, flattened to the sides, have 1-2 gluma and 4-5 florets.
Giant bamboo grows best at an altitude of 400-500 m, average rainfall 2,400 mm/year, temperature 25F, likes lots of sun and moist and fertile alluvial soil, but is also able to grow up to 1910 m elevation and places dry.
Petung grows by spreading roots and rhizomes underground. The speed of spreading is determined by the type of soil and the local climate. Rhizomes in the soil can be cut if desired and if separated from the main clump they will usually die.
Thick, strong and durable stem at 8% moisture content has a wood density of 0.7-0.8 g/cm3, at 15% moisture content it has a fracture strength of 103 N/mm2, the compressive strength parallel to the fiber direction is 31 N/mm2 and the tensile strength is 31 N/mm2. shear is 7.3 N/mm2.
Bamboo betung is used as a building material and structural wood for the construction of a wide variety of buildings including house posts, boats, tobacco shed frames, bridges, waterways, musical instruments, furniture, household and handicraft utensils, laminated boards, pulp, chopsticks, toothpicks and etc.
The large and sweet shoots are favored by people for pickling and various dishes. The quality of these shoots is considered the best compared to shoots of other bamboo species as food ingredients, including when canned.
Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Subphylum: Angiospermae
Class: Liliopsida
Order: Poales
Family: Poaceae
Subfamily: Bambusoideae
Tribe: Bambuseae
Subtribe: Bambusinae
Genus: Dendrocalamus
Species: Dendrocalamus asper