Dinochloa Büse
Gramineae
Major species and synonyms
-Dinochloa scandens (Blume) Kuntze. Synonyms: Bambusa scandens Blume, Nastus tjankorreh Schultes, Dinochloa tjankorreh (Schultes) Büse.
-Dinochloa sublaevigata S. Dransf.
-Dinochloa trichogona S. Dransf.
Vernacular names
-Dinochloa spp.: climbing bamboo (En).
-D. scandens: Indonesia: cankoreh (Sundanese).
-D. sublaevigata: Malaysia: buloh wadan (Sabah).
-D. trichogona: Malaysia: buloh wadan (Sabah).
Distribution
Dinochloa comprises about 20 species, widely distributed in South-East Asia, from the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, southern Thailand, Peninsular Malaysia, Sumatra, to the eastern part of the Lesser Sunda Islands (Flores), with great diversity in Borneo, the Philippines and Sulawesi. For map click: Map525.TIF. D. scandens is found only in West Java. For map click: Map263.TIF; the records of its occurrence in other parts of South-East Asia (Peninsular Malaysia, Borneo, the Philippines) are primarily based on incorrect identification. D. sublaevigata is endemic to Sabah. For map click: Map01.TIF. D. trichogona is found widespread in Borneo, but very common in Sabah. For map click: Map01.TIF.
Uses
Mature culms of D. scandens are used by local people for making rough baskets to carry stones from rivers. The liquid exuded by freshly cut culms or internodes is reputed to be good as eye drops. The large smooth leaf blades of D. sublaevigata and D. trichogona are used for wrapping a food made of glutinous rice (hokkien bak chang) by local Chinese in Sabah (Malaysia). Young shoots are eaten as a vegetable.
Observations
Open tufted, sympodial climbing bamboos. Culms zig-zag, usually solid, rarely hollow. Branches 3-18 at each node with primary branch dormant (but developing in a way similar to the main culm when the apex of the main culm is damaged). Culm sheaths consisting of two parts, the hard, expandable rugose base, glabrous or hairy, and the smooth upper part, glabrous or hairy; blades ovate to ovate-lanceolate, erect or deflexed; auricles present or absent. Young shoots purplish green or green, covered with white wax. Leaf blades from small (7 cm x 1.2 cm) to large (35 cm x 7 cm), smooth or rough. Inflorescences usually up to 3 m long; spikelets 2-9 mm long, with 2-3 glumes and one floret. Caryopsis (fruit) fleshy, globose or subglobose. Species of this genus are found scattered in lowland and hill dipterocarp forest, up to 1200 m altitude. These bamboos present a considerable problem, because they become weeds in logged and disturbed forest, preventing regeneration of commercial timber.