''Ochlandra stridula'', the Ceylon reed-bamboo, reed bamboo or forest bamboo, is a species of
bamboo
Bamboos are a diverse group of evergreen perennial flowering plants making up the subfamily Bambusoideae of the grass family Poaceae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family. The origin of the word "bamboo" is uncertain, bu ...
in the
grass family
Poaceae () or Gramineae () is a large and nearly ubiquitous family of monocotyledonous flowering plants commonly known as grasses. It includes the cereal grasses, bamboos and the grasses of natural grassland and species cultivated in lawns and ...
). It is
endemic
Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...
to
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...
. It can be found extensively in
Ratnapura
Ratnapura (; ) ("City of Gems" in Sinhala and Tamil) is a major city in Sri Lanka. It is the capital city of Sabaragamuwa Province, as well as the Ratnapura District, and is a traditional centre for the Sri Lankan gem trade. It is located ...
and
Kegalle
Kegalle ( si, කෑගල්ල; ta, கேகாலை) is a large town in Sabaragamuwa Province of Sri Lanka. It is located on the Colombo–Kandy road, approximately from Colombo and from Kandy. It is the main town in the Kegalle District ...
districts, in waste lands of rainforest and also along stream banks and in forest gaps.
[http://www.bamboohq.com/ochlandra-stridula.html]
Habit
''Ochlandra stridula'' is a short, small, pale green shrubby bamboo about 2-6m tall. Clumps are crowded and are composed of a large number of closely growing culms.
Appearance
Culm is pale green in color, which becomes brown when dried. Surface is rough and the culms are straight. Internodes are about 20–25 cm in length and 0.6–2 cm in diameter. Walls are very thin. Aerial roots absent. Branching from mid-culm to top.
Culm sheath is green in young plants, the straw becomes colored when mature. Culm sheath is triangular and broad at base, curved downwards at the tip. The sheath is small and narrow-lengths of sheath proper 10–15 cm long and 4–8 cm wide. Auricles are small and sickle-shaped. Upper surface of the culm sheath is hairy and lower surface is without hairs. Sheaths are persistent.
Uses
''Ochlandra stridula'' are used to make wattle-and-daub walls and fences. They are woven into mats, window blinds, screens and partitions and the leaves are used for thatching.
References
GardeningIndia BiodiversityThe Plant List
{{Taxonbar, from=Q15519643
Endemic flora of Sri Lanka
Bambusoideae