Melocalamus compactiflorus
(Kurz) Benth.
Bangladesh scrambling bamboo, Climbing pear bamboo
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
What to Eat
Edible parts: Seeds, Shoots
The seeds and shoots are eaten. Shoots are sold in local markets and can be stored fresh for 4-5 days.
Where to Find It
It is a tropical plant. It grows in open clearings in the forest up to 1,700 m above sea level. It grows in the wet tropics. It is best in areas with an average temperature between 20-29°C and an average rainfall of 1,000-2,000 mm per year. It is best in a fertile soil and a sunny location. It is best in a soil with pH 5.5-6.5. In Yunnan.
Climbing into trees in evergreen or secondary forest, and forming thickets in open clearings; at elevations up to 1,700 metres.
How to Identify
A bamboo or rattan. It forms clumps and is scrambling. It grows 10-15 m tall or longer. The stalks are slightly zigzag shaped and 1.5 cm across. The internodes are 20-30 cm long. The leaves are sword shaped. The flowering shoots are large. The seeds are large and mealy.
How to Grow
Shoots are sold in local markets.
Propagation: Seed - if sown when fresh it germinates very freely.
Other Uses
The culms are used for making crude baskets. Fibrous layers of the internodes, which are pliable and soft, are twisted into strands and shoes/sandals are made by interlacing them.
Names & Synonyms
Daral, Kale-o, Phai hang chang, Phai khruea wan, Phai lai mong, Phai sai wan, Usawi, Wa-nwe, Wa-nwe-gok, Washim mia
References (4)
- Anderson, E. F., 1993, Plants and people of the Golden Triangle. Dioscorides Press. p 215
- Medhi, P. & Borthakur, S. K., 2012, Phytoresources from North Cachur Hills of Assam -3: Edible plants sold at Hflong market. Indian Journal or Natural Products and Resources. 3(1) pp 84-109
- Medhi, P., Sarma, A and Borthakur, S. K., 2014, Wild edible plants from the Dima Hasao district of Assam, India. Pleione 8(1): 133-148
- Wild edible plants of Himachal Pradesh (As Dinochloa compactiflora)
