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Origin
and Geographic Distribution
Bamboos
occur in the tropical, subtropical and temperate regions of all
continents except Europe and western Asia, from lowlands up to 4000
m altitude. Most, however, occur at low to medium elevations in
the tropics, growing wild, cultivated or naturalized in a great
variety of habitats (Table 2).
Most
genera of bamboo are still not well understood. Precise information
on their origin are still unavailable. However, there has been some
speculation on possible centers of diversity of bamboos, such as
tropical America, Madagascar, and the region including southern
China and northern Burma (Myanmar), Thailand and Vietnam. The genera
in tropical America (about 20, reasonably well defined) are not
found outside the region (McClure, 1973; Soderstrom & Ellis,
1987), whereas all known native species in Madagascar are endemic.
The geographical distribution of bamboo is greatly influenced by
human activities (Holttum, 1958). Forest destruction, e,g. by logging
and building of new roads, has encouraged the spread of native bamboos,
which subsequently become abundant and form mixed or pure bamboo
forests.
Genus |
Number
of Species |
Distribution |
| Bambusa |
c.
37 |
Tropical
and subtropical Asia, especially in monsoon and wet tropics;
mostly cultivated |
| Cephalostachyum |
11 |
from
northeastern Himalayas to Thailand and Mindoro; mountain to
lowland forest |
| Dendrocalamus |
c.
29 |
From
Indian subcontinent throughout South-East Asia; dry and humid
tropics |
| Dinochloa |
c.
20 |
Malesia;
hill and lowland dipterocarp forest |
| Gigantochloa |
c.
24 |
South-East
Asia, wild or cultivated; humid tropics |
| Holttumochloa |
3 |
Peninsular
Malaysia; hill forest |
| Kinabaluchloa |
2 |
Malaysia;
montane forest |
| Maclurochloa |
1 |
Peninsular
Malaysia; mountain forest |
| Melocalamus |
1 |
Bangladesh,
India, Burma (Myanmar), Thailand, Southern China; lowland |
| Nastus |
c.
15 |
Indonesia,
Papua New Guinea (also in Mascarene and Madagascar), montane
forest |
| Neohouzeaua |
2 |
Bangladesh
to Thailand, wild or cultivated in lowlands |
| Pseudostachyum |
1 |
Burma
(Myanmar) and India |
| Racemobambos |
c.
16 |
Malesia;
mostly montane forest |
| Schizostacyum |
c.
30 |
South
East Asia, wild or cultivated mostly in lowlands |
| Soetjatmia |
1 |
Peninsular
Malaysia, wild in lowland and hill forest |
| Sphaerobambos |
3 |
Malesia,
lowland forest |
| Thyrsostachys |
2 |
Thailand
to Vietnam, dry lowlands |
| Vietnamosasa |
3 |
Thailand
to Vietnam; dry grassland, lowland to hill forest |
| Yushania |
2 |
Taiwan
to Sabah (Malaysia); mountain forest |
Source:
Dransfield S., and E. A. Widjaja (eds), 1995. Plant Resources
of South East Asia No 7: Bamboos, Backhuys Publishers, Leiden,
189 p.
Origin
and geographic distribution
Special
characteristics of bamboo
Uses
of bamboo
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