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| Bambusa lituiformis W.Arthan, Teerawat. & Sungkaew, in Arthan, Ohrnberger, Sungkaew, Phosi, Teerawatananon et Janloy. 2023. |
Summary
Thailand is situated in the region of high Bambusa biodiversity which extends from southern China to the Indochinese Peninsula. However, our understanding of Bambusa diversity and biogeography in this region remains incomplete, due to the lack of both local expertise and diagnostic characters on specimens, especially reproductive parts, which are relatively rare occurrences in the wild. Ongoing botanical surveys and flora projects in this region have led to the discovery of new Bambusa species in recent years. Here, a new species, B. lituiformis, and the first record from Thailand of B. nghiana, a Vietnamese species, are reported. The new species and record are described and illustrated from complete collections, using both vegetative and reproductive parts.
Key Words: Bamboo, Bambuseae, Bueng Kan, Gramineae, Indochinese Peninsula, southeast Asia, taxonomy.
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| Bambusa lituiformis. A – D shoots from non-flowering clump, showing variation in indumentum of culm leaves; E flowering branch, showing pseudospikelets with purple stamens; F leafy branches, showing glaucous abaxial leaf surface; G habit, showing drooping culm tips; H shoot from flowering clump, showing hairs on abaxial surface of the culm leaf sheath; J culm leaf, showing bristly curve-shaped auricle contiguous with the base of the blade. Photos: A. Teerawatananon. |
Bambusa lituiformis W.Arthan, Teerawat. & Sungkaew sp. nov.
ETYMOLOGY. The specific epithet is derived from two Latin words ‘litui’ (singular ‘lituus’) and ‘formis’. The former refers to the curved trumpet or curved wand of an augur (priest), and the latter is from “forme” meaning having the shape of (Lewis & Short 1879). The term ‘lituiformis’, therefore, refers to the curvature of the culm blade auricles, which is a key diagnostic character of this species.
VERNACULAR NAME. Pai Kanok (ไผ่กนก) (suggested here), alternative spelling “Kranok” (Pai Kranok ไผ่กระหนก). The vernacular name refers to its distinctively curved oral setae (Figs 1B & 2J). “Kanok” is a traditional Thai pattern, derived from two geometric forms, curves and triangles, themselves derived from the shape of the lotus (Nakapan et al. 2017).
Watchara Arthan, Dieter Ohrnberger, Sarawood Sungkaew, Saranporn Phosi, Atchara Teerawatananon and Arnupap Janloy. 2023. A New Species and A New Record of Bambusa (Poaceae: Bambusoideae) from Thailand. Kew Bulletin. DOI: 10.1007/s12225-023-10137-5
