三明苦竹 san ming ku zhu

Culms to ca. 5 m, to 3 cm in diam.; internodes terete, 33–40 cm, initially densely pruinose, yellow-brown and unevenly dark gray powdery when old; wall ca. 8 mm thick; supra-nodal ridge more elevated than sheath scar. Branches 3–5. Culm sheaths yellow-brown, densely purple spotted, leathery, base setose, margins yellow-white, shortly ciliate; auricles purple, ovate or elliptic, large, densely ciliate; oral setae radiate, brown, thick; ligule vaulted, purple, ca. 1 cm, glabrous or pubescent, not ciliate, asymmetrical at apex; blade reflexed or pendulous, green, linear-lanceolate, base pubescent and slightly constricted, margins serrulate, apex acuminate. Leaves 3 or 4 per ultimate branch; sheath usually glabrous, thinly glaucous; auricles purple, ovate or elliptical; oral setae radiating, robust, 3–8 mm; ligule vaulted, 2–3.5 mm; blade rhombic-lanceolate, 9–25 × 1.5–3 cm, glabrous, secondary veins 6–8(or 9)-paired, base cuneate, one margin densely serrulate, other margin sparsely serrate, apex acuminate. Inflorescence unknown. New shoots early May.

* Often in dense pure bamboo forests on mountain slopes. Fujian (Sanming).