Tabashir Bamboo
Gigantochloa apus

Family: Poaceae

What it is like

A bamboo. It is an erect plant and forms tillers. It grows 10-20 m tall. The young culms have dense hairs. These stems can be 3-15 cm across. The walls can be 1 cm thick. The internodes are 30-65 cm long. The angles of the leaf sheath is rounded on the upper section. The leaves are oval or sword shaped and are unequal at the base. They are dark green above and lighter underneath. They are 9-40 cm long by 2-6 cm wide. The flowering shoot does not have leaves. The groups of flowers are 1-9 cm apart. There are many flowering spikes in the group.

Where it is found

A tropical plant. In Java it grows from the lowlands to the high mountains. It is best in a fertile, clay soil and a moist climate. In the Cairns Botanical Gardens. It is cultivated as a food in Indonesia.

Countries/locations it is found in

Asia, Australia, Brazil, China, India, Indochina, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Northeastern India, SE Asia, Singapore, South America, Thailand

How it is used for food

The young shoots are used as a vegetable. They are bitter so are harvested and then buried for 3-4 days in moist soil or a pool. It is then washed and cooked and eaten.

It is cultivated.

Edible parts

Shoots

How it is grown

It is grown from sections of the rhizome or underground stem. These are planted 2-3 m apart.

The shoots are ready to harvest 5-7 years after planting.

Its other names

Local names

Bambu apus, Bambu tali, Buluh telur, Goba-wa, Mai lai, Wa-do

Synonyms

Bambusa apus (Bl. ex Schult. f. ) Kurz; Gigantochloa apus Kurz. ex Munro; Gigantochloa apus (J. A. & J. H. Schultes) Kurz; Gigantochloa kurzii Gamble; Gigantochloa takserah Camuso;