''Schizostachyum glaucifolium'', common name Polynesian ohe,
is a species of
bamboo.
Distribution
This species is native to the South-Central Pacific, from the
Marquesas Islands and
Society Islands in
French Polynesia
)Territorial motto: ( en, "Great Tahiti of the Golden Haze")
, anthem =
, song_type = Regional anthem
, song = " Ia Ora 'O Tahiti Nui"
, image_map = French Polynesia on the globe (French Polynesia centered).svg
, map_alt = Location of Frenc ...
, as well as in the Southwestern Pacific in the
Samoan Islands and
Fiji
Fiji ( , ,; fj, Viti, ; Fiji Hindi: फ़िजी, ''Fijī''), officially the Republic of Fiji, is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies about north-northeast of New Zealand. Fiji consists ...
.
It is an introduced species in Hawaii.
Habitat
This species prefers tropical or subtropical climates.
[Bambooland]
/ref> It can be found mainly along the banks of rivers and streams and on hillsides, at an elevation of above sea level.[
]
Description
''Schizostachyum glaucifolium'' can reach a typical height of and a culm diameter of . This evergreen clump-forming bamboo shows thin walls, long internodes and yellow woody culms with green stripes.[Useful tropical plants]
/ref>
Human culture
These bamboos have been used in French Polynesia
)Territorial motto: ( en, "Great Tahiti of the Golden Haze")
, anthem =
, song_type = Regional anthem
, song = " Ia Ora 'O Tahiti Nui"
, image_map = French Polynesia on the globe (French Polynesia centered).svg
, map_alt = Location of Frenc ...
by ancient Polynesians for its many uses (baskets, mats, musical instruments, small containers, fishing rods, etc.).[
Samoans consider its (known as ''ʻofe'' in Samoan) shoots as a sign of misfortune and doom.
]
Importance
On the French Polynesian island of Mo'orea, thickets of these bamboo are likely the exclusive breeding habitat of the Moorea reed warbler
Moorea reed warbler (''Acrocephalus longirostris'') is a species of songbird in the genus ''Acrocephalus (bird), Acrocephalus''. Formerly placed in the "Old World warbler" assemblage (Sylviidae), it is now in the newly recognized marsh warbler fa ...
. Development, overharvesting, and the invasive Miconia
''Miconia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the glory bush family, Melastomataceae, native to warm temperate to tropical regions of the Americas. The species are mostly shrubs and small to medium-sized trees up to 15 m tall. The generic name ...
have severely depleted these thickets, and the warbler is now critically endangered.
See also
* Domesticated plants and animals of Austronesia
References
Further reading
*Markle, G. M. et al., eds. 1998. ''Food and feed crops of the United States,'' ed. 2.
*Ohrnberger, D. 1999. ''The bamboos of the world.''
*Parham, J. W. 1972. ''Plants of the Fiji islands,'' revised ed.
*Wagner, W. L. et al. 1990. ''Manual of the flowering plants of Hawai'i.''
{{Taxonbar, from=Q7431630
Bambusoideae
Grasses of Oceania