Tinwa bamboo
Cephalostachyum pergracile
Family: Poaceae
What it is like
A tufted bamboo. It loses its leaves during the year. The culm or stem is erect and the tip hangs over. It grows 7-30 m high. The stem is 2.5-7.5 cm across. The wall is very thin. It is a greenish white with hairs below the nodes. The internodes are 25-40 cm long. The nodes are slightly thickened. There are several branches from each of the higher nodes. The culm sheath is 10-15 cm long by 15-20 cm wide. It is thick and leathery. It falls off. The leaf blade is narrow sword shaped and 10-35 cm long by 1.5-6 cm wide. They are rough on both surfaces. They are slightly hairy underneath.
There are about 11 Cephalostachyum species.
Where it is found
A tropical plant. It grows in mixed deciduous forest in Burma and Thailand. It grows between 50-700 m above sea level. It grows in low hilly country on well drained soils. In Brisbane Botanical Gardens. In XTBG Yunnan.
Countries/locations it is found in
Asia, Australia, Bangladesh, Central America, China, Himalayas, India, Indochina, Indonesia, Laos, Myanmar, Nepal, Northeastern India, Puerto Rico, SE Asia, Singapore, Thailand, SE Asia, West Indies
How it is used for food
The young shoots are eaten cooked. They have a bitter taste. The inside membranes of the stem internodes are used as casings for a rice dessert and the casing is eaten along with the rice dish after baking.
It is a cultivated food plant.
Edible parts
Shoots, flavouring
How it is grown
It can be grown from seed, rhizomes or cuttings of the stem. Culm or stem cuttings are difficult. A spacing of 8 m is suitable.
Clumps develop very slowly. They can take 12-30 years to develop full sized culms. A young shoot for eating weighs 825 g before peeling and 168 g after peeling.
Its other names
Local names
Bhala bans, Dangi, Goekhang, Gulhang, Khaao laam, Khauz hlam, Latang, Luphul, Madang, Mai-pang, Mau-dang, Paung-thin-wa, Phai-kaolarm, Phai-khaolam, Pungsang, Tinwa, Wa-ciaw, Wootang
Synonyms
Schizostachyum pergracile (Munro) Majumdar;