LocationGoogle Map: Area of Chiang Mai.
Images
Photos can be found in the following set:
Bamboos in Chiang Mai and Vicinity
All images show plants in and around Chiang Mai, if not otherwise stated.
List of bamboos
The following is a list of bamboo stands. The list is arranged alpha-numerically by identification number of bamboo stand. Under each identification number only 1 bamboo stand (comprising only 1 bamboos species) at a specific location is treated. If known, the Thai bamboo name is given in Thai script, followed by its Romanized (transcribed) name, and the botanical name. By June 2009, this list comprises only a few species, and will be extended over the time.
CM-001 — ไผ่สรีสุก (phai si suk) — Bambusa blumeana
Location: Private garden in Ban Pa Yang Poi, T. Pa Lan, A. Doi Saket.
A giant thorny bamboo, habit characterized by tall erect and wide bending culms and impenetrable clump base, often planted or occurs wild or naturalized, near villages and along rivers, canals and ditches. Culms of thick diameter but thin-walled.
Comments: Local people call this bamboo ไผ่สรีสุก (phai si suk). Identified as Bambusa blumeana [C.T.].
CM-002 — ไผ่บง (phai bong)
Location: Same private garden as CM-001.
A large bamboo, often seen grown in gardens, culms dark green, not thorny, habit characterized by short branches and drooping culm top.
New shoots brownish green or green, with big culm sheath blade, not reflexed; young internodes farinose; young nodes with a broad ring in light color.
Comments: Local people call this bamboo ไผ่บง (phai bong). Identified as Bambusa tulda [C.T., citing Maxwell], ไผ่บง (phai bong), or ไผ่บงดำ (phai bong dam) (North), ไผ่หางช้าง (phai hang chang) (Kanchanaburi). The photos in BambooWeb.info do match with phai bong to some degree but are not sufficient to reach a final conclusion. Line drawings of culm sheath in tropicos show more similarity with B. tuldoides than B. tulda.
CM-003 — ไผ่สรีสุก (phai si suk) — Bambusa blumeana
Location: On roadside near Ban Kok Mon.
Comments: Same species as CM-001.
CM-004 — ไผ่เหลือง (phai lueang) — Bambusa vulgaris cv. Striata
Location: On roadside along a ditch near Ban Kok Mon.
A medium-sized bamboo, often seen grown in gardens or found naturalized near ditches and canals. Easily recognizable by its bright yellow internodes with a few narrow green stripes. Foliage leaf blades medium-sized, green, glabrous on both sides.
Comments: Identified as a yellow-stem variety of Bambusa vulgaris [C.T.].
CM-005 — Unidentified bamboo 1
Location: Grown in a private garden in a village, Ban Kok Mon.
A large bamboo, nodes thornless.
CM-006 — ไผ่ป่า (phai pa)
Location: Grown wild or naturalized at a ditch/canal nearby Ban Pa Lan, T. Pa Lan, A. Doi Saket.
A medium-sized bamboo, nodes with thorns, impenetrable clump base.
Comments: Identified as Bambusa bambos (B. arundinacea) [C.T.], Thai name is ไผ่ป่า (phai pa), but other Thai names are in use, too. "Pa" means "wild", "wood", "grove", "forest", and the Thai name could be translated as "wild bamboo", indicating that this species occurs in the wild and is usually not kept in cultivation in gardens.
CM-007 — Unidentified bamboo 2, similar to ไผ่เลี้ยง (phai liang) [BS-0001-1]
Location: Planted as a screen on the grounds of Rim Ping Supermarket, Airport Branch, Mueang district, Chiang Mai.
A mid-size bamboo very similar in characters and habit to ไผ่เลี้ยง (phai liang), but young shoots middle green, mature culms orange to orange-green, foliage leaf blades middle green to light green, and culm leaves slightly different in shape. The shape of the culm leaves is somewhat intermediate between Bambusa multiplex (BS-0111) and phai liang (BS-0001-1), whereas the shape of foliage leaves resembles phai liang. Questions may arise whether the orange colored stems derive from sun exposure only, and the light green color of foliage leaves from soil conditions.
Description: Rhizomes pachymorph, short-necked, forming a tight clump. Culms erect, slightly bending over from weight of foliage, height estimated 8 m, taller culms over 10 m. Young shoots emerge from early or mid June, middle green, occasionally with light green streaks, glabrous, sheath blades dark, not reflexed at low height. Culm internodes terete, green, changing to orange-green or orange with age [all culms at the site exposed to sun], glabrous and smooth, diameter 3-4 cm. Culm nodes not prominent, glabrous. Culm sheaths deciduous, loosen from the sides, remain attached at the middle part of sheath base, then dropping; sheath with sheath blade long-triangle shaped, sheath blade erect (usually not reflexed), auricles none, sheath ligule present, dark straw-colored, slightly broader (about 2 mm on each side) than base of culm sheath blade, sheath ligule 1-2 mm long, with irregular coarse divisions or clefts; culm sheath with sheath blade pale to mid straw-colored when dry, the sheath blade somewhat darker, culm sheath covered with short rigid hairs chiefly on its upper part, hairs soon deciduous, inner side of sheath shiny, inner side of sheath blade dull and darker. Branch complement with intra-vaginal branching; branches many, with one dominant branch. Foliage leaf blades mid-green to light green, dull and glabrous on both sides, small, usually 7-12 cm long, 7-9 mm wide.
Flowering: No flowers detected so far (late June 2009).
CM-008 — ไผ่บงใหญ่ (phai bong yai) — Dendrocalamus brandisii
Location: Planted 1986, in the garden of Phu Phing Ratchaniwet Palace (พระตำหนักภูพิงค์ราชนิเวศน์, winter residence of Their Majesties and the Royal Family) on the mountain Doi Suthep near Chiang Mai.
Dendrocalamus brandisii is one of the tallest bamboos.
Comments: Photos (taken 9 Jan. 2009) by courtesy of U.K. and R.S.
Further information: Fact Sheet from Bamboo Australia; BambooWeb.info.
CM-009 — ไผ่เลี้ยงหวาน (phai liang wan)
Location: Khun Noi's Plant Nursery, Saraphi, Chiang Mai.
Phai liang wan is a very ornamental as well as useful bamboo, similar to phai liang, but leaves are light green in the former as are the stems. Overall appearance resembles Thyrsostachys, but culm sheaths of lower culms are deciduous in both, phai liang wan and phai liang, and persistent in both known species of Thyrsostachys. All plants of phai liang wan at the Nursery are small and potted.
Flowering: A few of the plants were found in flower (early May 2009), but the inflorescence has not yet fully developed and no seeds were detected.
CM-010 — Unidentified bamboo 3, similar to CM-007
Location: Mae Hia subdistrict or Suthep subdistrict, Chiang Mai, bamboo alley to Land and Houses real estate compound.
This is a bamboo that closely resembles 1007. Planted as an about 200 m long bamboo alley (all plants of the same species). Only one single shoot had emerged by 10 June 2009, and more emerged from late June onwards.
Flowering: Only two clumps were found in flower in early May 2009, and three further clumps in flower in mid June 2009. Herbarium specimens were collected on 25 May 2009 and 29 June 2009. In late June, the first two flowering clumps no longer existed, and they were probably removed by the gardeners. Further, nearly all new shoots were cut, probably by the gardeners for their consumption, and only the very thin and too tall grown shoots were left.
CM-011 — ไผ่รวก (phai ruak) — Thyrsostachys siamensis
Location: On a slope in the middle of the village Ban Mae Aen, Mae Rim district. This species is found frequently in this hilly area: cultivated, naturalized, and possibly wild.
CM-012 — ไผ่ดำเลื้อย (phai dam lueai) — Dinochloa sp.
Location: On the property of Ping Buri, a guesthouse on Arak Road (along western moat) of the Old City of Chiang Mai.
This climbing bamboo with dark green stems was planted.
Comments: Many years ago, this bamboo was grown chiefly on all the pillars in front of the guesthouse, reaching over two-storey height. Later it was destroyed and replaced by other climbers. A single plant of this bamboo within the boundary gap to the neighboring property might have been overlooked and has survived so far.
CM-013 — Unidentified bamboo 4, similar to CM-007 and CM-010
Location: Plant Nursery near Payap University, Chiang Mai.
A row of bamboos planted for sale. They closely resemble CM-007 and CM-010, and most likely represent the same species. New shoots sprouted (which match the characters of 1007).
Flowering: None of the clumps were found in flower (early June 2009).
CM-014 — ไผ่เลี้ยง (phai liang)
Location: Along the border of Khamthiang Market, Chiang Mai.
Several hundred meters long is this row of phai liang, which was planted as a visual screen. Their light cinnamon-colored young shoots and dark foliage leaves clearly show that this is phai liang and not phai liang wan.
Flowering: None of the clumps were found in flower (late June 2009).
CM-015 — Unidentified bamboo 5, similar to CM-007 and CM-010
Location: In a village in Luang Nuea subdistrict of Doi Saket district, Chiang Mai.
This bamboo was planted as a visual screen behind a 200 m long wall along the border of a private property. All the plants seem to represent phai liang wan, not phai liang. The color of a few young shoots, seen near the entrance gate, were greenish, not light cinnamon-colored.
Flowering: Two big gaps with dieing culms were found in this screen; obviously these culms flowered (late June 2009).
Comments: Since mid 2009, more and more bamboos similar to phai liang or phai liang wan have been found in flower in the Chiang Mai area. Mass flowering has not been observed, only flowering of single stems or a few stems together, which aparently will die after flowering.
Further flowering of a few culms of this bamboo was seen on the following locations, but no photos were taken:
a) Bun Rueang Rit Road (between Suthep Rd. and Bun Rueang Rit Soi 2), trimmed bamboo hedge, cut down to about 1 m height.
CM-016 — ไผ่รวกดำ (phai ruak dam) — Thyrsostachys oliveri
Location: Planted in a garden of the village Ban Pa Fang, Pa Lan subdistrict, Doi Saket district, Chiang Mai.
This bamboo seems to represent true Thyrsostachys oliveri. Culm sheaths are not persistent (only a few remnants can be seen on lower internodes), apex of culm sheath proper is almost straight-truncate (slightly convex-waived), and culm sheath ligule is entire [fringed in phai liang]. The overall appearance of this bamboo is between Thyrsostachys siamensis (phai ruak) and phai liang. The owners call this bamboo phai ruak dam.
CM-017 — ไผ่รวกบ้าน (phai ruak ban) — Thyrsostachys siamensis
Location: Planted in a garden of the village Ban Pa Fang, Pa Lan subdistrict, Doi Saket district, Chiang Mai. Culm sheaths are persistent on lower culm, apex of culm sheath proper is convex-truncate, and culm sheath ligule is entire. The owners call this bamboo phai ruak ban.
CM-018 — ไผ่รวกป่า (phai ruak pa) — Thyrsostachys siamensis
Location: Planted in a garden of the village Ban Pa Fang, Pa Lan subdistrict, Doi Saket district, Chiang Mai. Same as CM-017, but somewhat smaller in size. The owners distinguish between phai ruak ban and this bamboo, and call it "ธรรมดา" (thammada = common, ordinary).
CM-019 — ไผ่เฮียะ (phai hia) — Schizostachyum virgatum, syn. Cephalostachyum virgatum
Location: Wild or planted on the side of a ditch in the village Ban Pa Fang, Pa Lan subdistrict, Doi Saket district, Chiang Mai; also found planted in a garden in the same village.
CM-020 — Unidentified thorny bamboo — Bambusa sp.
Location: Wild or planted on the side of a ditch in the village Ban Pa Yang Poi, Pa Lan subdistrict, Doi Saket district, Chiang Mai. The species is frequently and widely found wild in wasteland and secondary forest in moist sites and along water courses. Culms are dark green, culm sheaths are glabrous, with inconspicuous or without auricles. A small propagule was taken (BS-0513-1) for later species determination.
CM-023 — ไผ่ซางหม่น (phai sang mon) — Dendrocalamus sp.
Location: Planted beside a ditch of a farmer's property in the village Ban Pa Sao, San Pu Loei subdistrict, Doi Saket district, Chiang Mai.
In Thai publications, this bamboo is often associated with the botanical name, Dendrocalamus sericeus, but this seems to be a misidentification at species level. In the Chiang Mai plain, this bamboo is rarely found, whereas quite frequently on the foothills, at least in Doi Saket district. It is more common in the Chiang Dao area. A one-culm division was received and planted (BS-0305).
CM-024 — ไผ่บงป่า (phai bong pa) — Bambusa sp.
Location: Roadside between Wat Mai Hua Fai and Wat Huai Thong, Nam Bo Luang subdistrict, San Pa Tong district, Chiang Mai.
Culms and culm sheaths are similar to a cultivated bamboo that is known as ไผ่บง (phai bong), but culms are rough and somewhat zig-zag, not straight as in phai bong. Culm sheaths are densely covered with stiff dark brown hairs, auricles are rounded, unequal and bristly, foliage leaves medium-sized, glabrous.
CM-025 — ไผ่ซางดอย (phai sang doi) — Dendrocalamus membranaceus
Location: Same as CM-024.
This bamboo is commonly and widely distributed in northern Thailand. The species flowered recently, and young plants, derived from seed, and seedlings can be found frequently. The species is a vigorous and tall grower. The location of CM-025, however, is not the very best for this species, therefore plants do not reach a tall height. The species can be easily recognized distantly by bending and arching culms and light green, small foliage leaves, and, from the near, by leaf sheaths with small auricles and long bristles, which may drop off early, and by young culms covered with pubescence.
CM-026 — Bambusa sp.
Location: Same as CM-024.
Culms, culm sheaths and leaves are similar to a cultivated bamboo, BS-0031. Plants of this population may represent Bambusa burmanica or a closely related species.
