棉花竹 mian hua zhu

Rhizome neck 5–11 cm. Culms 4–6 m, 1.5–2.5 cm in diam.; internodes terete, 20–23 cm, longitudinal ribs absent, initially white powdery, glabrous; wall 3–6 mm thick, pith initially spongy; supra-nodal ridges weakly prominent; sheath scar prominent, yellow-brown setose, with persistent remains of sheath base; intranode 2–4 mm. Branches 9–25 per node. Culm sheaths persistent, yellow-brown, spotted purple-brown, narrowly triangular or narrowly rounded, proximally leathery, distally papery, brown to dark brown setulose, longitudinal ribs prominent, margins sometimes brown to dark brown setose; auricles absent; oral setae deciduous, brown; ligule yellow-brown, truncate, ca. 1 mm, glabrous; blade reflexed, linear-lanceolate, glabrous. Leaves 3 or 4 per ultimate branch; sheath margins initially ciliate; auricles purple, falcate, small; oral setae erect, gray-brown; ligule arcuate, margins initially ciliate; blade lanceolate, (7–)10–16 × 1–1.7 cm, proximally white-gray pubescent, secondary veins 4-paired, transverse veins obscure, base cuneate, one margin spinescent-serrulate, other margin obscurely so. Inflorescence a racemose panicle, initially terminal to leafy shoot; spikelets 3–7, 2.5–4.3 cm, rachilla internodes 3–4 mm, white-gray setose, apex densely white-gray ciliate; florets 3–7, terminal one sterile. Glumes 1 or 2, papery; lemma densely white-gray setose abaxially, margins ciliate; palea keels setose; lodicules ciliate. Anthers yellow. Ovary ovoid, glabrous; styles 2; stigma white. Caryopsis unknown. New shoots Jul–Aug.

* 1800–2700 m. W Guizhou, SW Sichuan, NE Yunnan.

The shoots are edible, and the split culms are used for weaving.