4. Gigantochloa Kurz ex Munro, Trans. Linn. Soc. London. 26: 123. 1868.
巨竹属 ju zhu shu
Authors: De-Zhu Li & Chris Stapleton
Arborescent bamboos, large-sized; clumps dense. Rhizomes short necked, pachymorph. Culms unicaespitose, erect, pendulous at apex; internodes green initially, often with yellow stripes, terete. Branches several, 1 dominant. Culm sheaths deciduous, very broad, densely hairy; ligule conspicuous; auricles absent or small; blade recurved or erect. Leaves usually large, base cuneate; auricles usually absent; ligule conspicuous; blade cuneate at base, venation not tessellate. Inflorescence iterauctant, fully bracteate, subtended by a narrow single-keeled prophyll, pseudospikelets clustered in soft or spiky globose mass at nodes of leafless flowering branches. Pseudospikelets sessile, prophyllate; florets (1 or)2–5, with a sterile terminal floret with lemma only, sessile. Fertile glumes preceded by 1 or more gemmiferous bracts and 0–2 empty glumes; rachilla very short, obscure, not disarticulating; lemma broad, many veined; palea strongly 2-keeled; lodicules absent. Stamens 6; filaments united into a firm tube; anthers apiculate. Ovary stalked, apex thickened and hairy; stigma 1, long, hairy, plumose. Caryopsis terete, apex hairy; pericarp slightly thickened. 2n = 76*.
About 30 species: tropical Asia; six species (two endemic) in China.
There are several to possibly many further entities not yet properly identified, some of which might represent new taxa.
"Gigantochloa menlunenesis" (B. Wen, J. Bamboo Res. 20(2): 10. 2001) was not validly published because no type was indicated.
