乌哺鸡竹 wu bu ji zhu

Culms 5–15 m, 4–8 cm in diam., with weakly pendulous apex; internodes gray or yellow-green at maturity, conspicuously striate, 25–35 cm, initially thinly white powdery, glabrous; wall ca. 5 mm thick; nodes usually asymmetrical, nodal ridge usually more prominent than sheath scar on one side. Culm sheaths yellow-green tinged with purple, or pale brown-yellow, densely spotted and blotched with brown especially toward center; auricles and oral setae absent; ligule pale brown to brown, arcuate, strongly decurrent on both flanks, ciliolate; blade reflexed, abaxially brown-purple, adaxially green, marginally paler or faintly orange-colored, linear-lanceolate, strongly crinkled. Leaves 2 or 3 per ultimate branch, auricles and oral setae developed; ligule to 3 mm; blade slightly pendulous, 9–18 × 1.2–2 cm. Flowering branchlets spicate; scaly bracts 4–6, gradually larger; spathes 5–7, glabrous or sparsely puberulent, auricles small; oral setae radiate; blade ovate-lanceolate to narrowly lanceolate, to 2.5 cm. Pseudospikelets 1 or 2 per spathe; spikelets 3.5–4 cm; florets 2 or 3, sparsely pubescent. Glume 1; lemma 2.7–3.2 cm, sparsely pubescent; palea 2.2–2.6 cm, subglabrous; lodicules narrowly lanceolate, ca. 5 mm. Anthers ca. 1.2 cm. Ovary glabrous; stigmas 3. New shoots Apr, fl. Apr–May.

* Widely cultivated. Fujian, Henan, Jiangsu, Shandong, Yunnan, Zhejiang.

This species is usually planted for shoot production and for the beautiful culms and elegant, drooping foliage of some cultivars. The culms are used for weaving articles and as handles of farm tools.