Siam bamboo (Thyrsostachys siamensis)

Bambu siam or siam bamboo (Thyrsostachys siamensis) is a plant species in Poaceae, bamboo that is clumped, upright stems, densely packed, green, pale green shoots or purplish, widely used for ornamental plants, living fences, wind barrier and bamboo shoots used for vegetables.

T. siamensis has straight stems or curved ends, 8-14 m tall, branches appear high above the ground with many branches in a segment where one is bigger than the other branches.

The segment has a length of 15-30 cm and a diameter of 2-7.5 cm. The walls are very thick, even solid at the bottom, smooth, grayish green, usually covered by a reed which is not falling out. The boundary of the segment is not prominent with the whitish ring just below the segment.

The reed is not loose, 20-25 cm long, 8-10 cm wide at the base and narrowed to 2.5 cm at the end, pale green or purplish with white hairs scattered on the outside, brown ends yellowish and thinning to dry.

The reed ears are not visible or are very small in size and loosened. The leaves of the reed are narrow lanceolate, 6-15 cm long, 5-12 mm wide, erect, have fine hairs on the axial and ligula are very short.

The leaves are long and narrow, 7-14 cm long, 5-10 mm wide, pale green which is whitish and generally lokos. Striped leaf midrib, white haired at a margin, midrib or small ear size. Ligula is very short, flat and smooth-haired.

Siam bamboo grows in the tropics, semi-evergreen forests, mixed or drier, dry, sandy, rocky forests, nutrient-poor soils, altitudes of 300-2000 m and rainfall of 800-1,000 mm/year. This bamboo grows on various types of soil that is not flooded.

Stems are used for general household use, materials for making baskets, chopsticks, umbrella handles, fishing rods, pulp and firewood. Shoots are praised as one of the most delicious vegetables. Popular to decorate parks and curbside, live fences and windbreaks.

Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Subphylum: Angiospermae
Class: Liliopsida
Order: Poales
Family: Poaceae
Genus: Thyrsostachys
Species: Thyrsostachys siamensis

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