Location
Postal Address:
Huai Hong Khrai, Royal Development Study Center, A. Doi Saket, Chiang Mai, 50220, Thailand
ศูนย์ศึกษาการพัฒนาห้วยฮ่องไคร้ อันเนื่องมาจากพระราชดำริ อำเภอดอยสะเก็ด จังหวัดเชียงใหม่ ๕๐๒๒๐
Google Map: District of Doi Saket
DirectionNortheast of Chiang Mai: About 10 kilometers beyond Doi Saket district village (or about 25 km from Super Highway #11) along Chiang Mai - Chiang Rai Road (#118), direction Chiang Rai, on the right hand side.
Description of SiteHuai Hong Khrai is one of the six Royal Development Study Centers in Thailand, and part of the Royal Project Foundation. The centers are dedicated to studies and experimentations in all aspects of agroforestry and ecology. Huai Hong Khrai is situated within the Pa Khun Mae Kuang National Reserved Forest, and it covers an area of 1,360 hectares.
The bamboo section is located near the Forest Research and Development Center, and comprises some 30 bamboo species and varieties, both village bamboos and wild species.
Images
Photos can be found in the following set:
Bamboos at Huai Hong Khrai, Chiang Mai
All images show plants at Huai Hong Khrai if not otherwise stated. The photos were taken in November 2008, the beginning of the cool season, when nearly all new culms of bamboos have reached maturity. This is not the best time to take photos for the purpose of bamboo identification. In need are young shoots, fresh culm leaves, young internodes and nodes, which were not available during this season. Next year will render possible taking such photos.
List of Bamboos
The following is a commented list of bamboos (identified and unidentified) viewed at Huai Hong Khrai. The list is arranged alphabetically by Romanized (transcribed) Thai bamboo name, as applied at Huai Hong Khrai. First, the common Thai name is given in Thai script, followed in brackets by its Romanized name, then by its botanical name if known.
ไผ่บง (phai bong) — Bambusa nutans ?
Overall appearance of phai bong is very similar to phai bong pa. Main differences are taller height and straight culms in phai bong. Phai bong shows whitish bands on the node just above and below the sheath scar ring. This character becomes less clear in rather old culms, and is not distinctive for this species as several related species show this character, too. Phai bong is a village bamboo and often found cultivated in the Chiang Mai region. Therefore, this bamboo is also called phai bong ban ("ban" means house, village).
ไผ่บงป่า (phai bong pa) — Bambusa sp.
Culms of phai bong pa are often not straight but somewhat flexuous, and are of less height than phai bong. Phai bong pa is usually not cultivated but frequently found wild.
ไผ่บงหวาน (phai bong wan) [1]
This bamboo is very similar in its vegetative characters, e.g. culm sheaths, with phai bong and phai bong pa. Its culms reach only a few meters, perhaps 5 meters height. Internodes rough to touch; culm-sheaths deciduous, covered with dark brown hairs, culm-sheath ligule present; culm-sheath auricles present on both sides, large; foliage leaf-sheaths with ciliate margins. This bamboo is also very similar to my #031 and only a slight difference in habit could be found so far: Culms of #031 are a little taller, the lower part of culms is straight, the upper part is bending outward to a less degree than in phai bong wan. Both bamboos seem to result from an early clonal selection. Shoots of both bamboos, although small, are said to be delicious; "wan" means sweet.
ไผ่บงหวาน (phai bong wan) [2]
Another bamboo named "bong wan" which is apparently distinct from the preceding, has a nice appearance but has little similarity, if at all, with phai bong. On 17 July 2009, photos were taken from culms and young shoots, which rises the hope that identification will be possible later. Culm sheaths were not available at that time. The clump seems to develop widely spaced culms but this is probably a wrong pattern caused by over-exploiting of young shoots. A culm cut slightly above ground does not show thick culm walls.
ไผ่เฮียะ (phai hia) — Schizostachyum virgatum, syn. Cephalostachyum virgatum
Internodes with short white "hairs" when young (or farinose?); culm-sheaths with few brown hairs when young.
ไผ่หก (phai hok) — Dendrocalamus hamiltonii
ไผ่กำไล (phai kam lai)
Perhaps a species of Dendrocalamus. Culms not tall, maybe reach 5 m height.
ไผ่ข้าวหลาม (phai khao lam) — Schizostachyum pergracile, syn. Cephalostachyum pergracile
ไผ่โคลนลาย (phai khlon lai)
This bamboo has dull green and yellowish stripes: "khlon" means mud, and "lai" stripes. Culm-sheaths persistent or late deciduous.
ไผ่ลำมะลอก (phai lam malok) — Bambusa longispiculata ?
Internodes glabrous; culm-sheaths reddish when young, covered with dark hairs; branch nodes have thorns. As the culms form a more open clump, the clumps can become bigger than those of other bamboos. Another Thai name for this species, ไผ่ใหญ่กอ (phai yai ko), alludes to the clump size: "yai" means big, large, and "ko" means clump. This bamboo is probably not Bambusa longispiculata (compare with photos in bambooweb.info). There is a sign "Dendrocalamus longispathus" on one of the culms, but this is a misidentification (compare photos in bambootech.org).
ไผ่เลียะ (phai lia)
Lower and mid part of culms stiffly straight, slightly bending outward above; culms rather tall, estimated 20 meters, internodes bright green. This species has ornamental value and is very similar to phai liang from Khamthiang Market, including my phai liang (#001-1). Culm-sheaths seem to be identical, and the only difference might be a taller height of phai lia. No bamboo under the name, phai lia, has found published, and this name applied by the staff may turn out to be a misconception.
ไผ่เลี้ยง (phai liang) [1]
This bamboo is very similar in overall appearance to phai lia as well as phai liang from Khamthiang Market, but its culm-sheaths are so markedly different that it might well represent a different species. It shares the same ornamental characters and might reach the same tall height as phai lia.
ไผ่เลี้ยง (phai liang) [2]
Another clump which is very likely phai liang as is known from Khamthiang Market. Unfortunately, culm sheaths and young shoots were not available when taking photos on 17 July 2009. Probably, this clump was cleaned-up recently and many old culms were removed.
ไผ่เหลือง (phai lueang) — Bambusa vulgaris cv. Striata
This bamboo is frequently planted in Huai Hong Khrai, and widley planted or naturalized in the Chiang Mai area. Photos were not taken.
ไผ่มาจู (phai ma chu) — Dendrocalamus latiflorus
Species introduced. Internodes glabrous; culm-sheaths with dark hairs chiefly on lower part of sheath; foliage leaves glabrous on both sides; young shoots bluish-green with orange-yellow tip. This species is said to prefer a higher content of moisture in the soil than most other bamboos.
ไผ่น้ำเต้า (phai nam tao) — Bambusa vulgaris cv. Wamin
A well-known ornamental bamboo frequently found in cultivation, no photos were taken.
ไผ่เงิน (phai ngoen) — Bambusa glaucophylla
A well-known ornamental bamboo frequently found in cultivation, no photos were taken.
ไผ่พม่า (phai phama)
This bamboo is said to originate from Burma (phama = Burma). Perhaps a species of Dendrocalamus.
ไผ่ไร่ (phai rai) — Pseudoxytenanthera albociliata ?
Phai rai is said to be a widespread bamboo in the forests of Thailand, Burma and Laos, of little use to men, and therefore hardly found cultivated in villages. Lacking culm sheaths and young shoots, identification has not attempted. The clump has stems about 5 m tall and 2 cm in diameter.
ไผ่ไร่ลอ (phai rai lo)
Culms about 5 m tall. Identification wanted. In Thai publications, the names phai rai and phai rai lo denotate different bamboos.
ไผ่รวก (phai ruak) — Thyrsostachys siamensis
There are several Thai names associated with phai ruak: phai ruak pa, phai ruak ban, phai ruak daeng, and phai ruak dam. It seems to me that the first three names represent one species, Thyrsostachys siamensis, and phai ruak dam is applied to Thyrsostachys oliveri only. There might be differences in characters within Thyrsostachys siamensis, but it is not clear so far if all the Thai names point to such differences or not. Phai ruak ban is considered to be a tall and cultivated variety. There are several rather tall plants on the site, among them the tallest with internodes 24-29 cm long, 5-7 cm in diameter, and they seem to represent phai ruak ban. The Thai name, phai ruak daeng, seems to be occasionally applied to phai ruak ban synonymously. The photos in the album under the name phai ruak could possibly show the cultivated variety, phai ruak ban.
ไผ่รวกบ้าน (phai ruak ban) — Thyrsostachys siamensis
Characters that would distinguish between phai ruak ban and phai ruak daeng could not be found.
ไผ่รวกแดง (phai ruak daeng) — Thyrsostachys siamensis
Characters that would distinguish between phai ruak ban and phai ruak daeng could not be found.
ไผ่รวกดำ (phai ruak dam) — Thyrsostachys oliveri ?
There are several tall plants on the site: internodes 23-27 cm long, 4-5 cm in diameter. I was told, phai ruak ban / phai ruak daeng grows somewhat taller than phai ruak dam. I compared the plants that were told me to be phai ruak dam with phai ruak ban / phai ruak daeng, but I failed to find any character that would distinguish them.
ไผ่รวกป่า (phai ruak pa) — Thyrsostachys siamensis
Foresters distinguish between phai ruak pa (pa = wood, forest), a wild form of Thyrsostachys siamensis, and phai ruak ban (ban = house, village), the latter a much taller and stronger form widely and commonly planted in gardens. The only difference between these two forms seems to be culm size (height and diameter). On the grounds of Huai Hong Khrai, there is one clump of phai ruak pa, but several of phai ruak ban.
ไผ่ซาง (phai sang) — Dendrocalamus strictus ?
This bamboo was obtained from Taiwan. There are similarities with phai sang, but identification of this species is in question.
ไผ่ซางหม่น (phai sang mon) — Dendrocalamus sericeus
A tall bamboo with farinose young culms, similar to Dendrocalamus strictus, and often grown in plantations.
ไผ่ซางหม่น (phai sang mon) [2] — Dendrocalamus sericeus
Another clump of phai sang mon, but no shoots and culm sheaths available, hence identification is preliminary.
ไผ่ซางป่า (phai sang pa) — Dendrocalamus strictus ?
Phai sang pa is said to be a bamboo from the wild (pa = wood, forest). Perhaps this bamboo represents a wild form of Dendrocalamus strictus, as the Thai name suggests, but has not yet examined.
ไผ่สีสุก (phai si suk) — Bambusa blumeana
ไผ่ด้ามขวาน (phai tam khwan)
This bamboo is similar in appearance to phai lia and phai liang, but the culms are less tall and the internodes not of bright green but dull green. The basal part of this bamboo is solid or nearly so, and said to be preferably used for making axe handles. The Thai name alludes to this usage: "tam khwan" means handle of axe. Shoots are said to be delicious.
ไผ่ทอง (phai thong) — Schizostachyum brachycladum cv. Bali Kuning
No photos were taken as this bamboo is well-known from Khamthiang Market.
ไผ่ตงขนาดเล็ก (phai tong khanat lek) — Dendrocalamus asper cv.
Not sure, if this bamboo is truly a Dendrocalamus asper variety, but it seems to be closely related to. It might be the same bamboo that is known from literature as phai tong nu, or phai tong lek. Culms erect, forming a tight clump, perhaps 8-10 m tall; internodes 4-5 cm in diameter, slightly rough, covered with short white hairs when young; culm-sheaths covered with dark brown or blackish hairs; culm-sheath ligule prominent, culm-sheath blade small, reflexed.
Species of Phyllostachys
There is grown one species of Phyllostachys with green culms; Thai name not recorded.
Acknowledgement
This inventory could not have been done with the generous permission of Mr. Kanit (คุณคณิต), Head of the Center, and the help of his subordinates, Mr. Kasem (คุณเกษม) and Mrs. Si Thong (คุณสีทอง), who informed me about the Thai bamboo names and gave further invaluable details on certain species.
