UNIVERSITI PUTRA MALAYSIA

EFFECTS OF AGE AND HEIGHT ON SELECTED PROPERTIES OF THREE MALAYSIAN BAMBOO SPECIES

ABD. LATIF MOHMOD

FH 1991 1

EFFECTS OF AGE AND HEIGHT ON SELECTED • PROPERTIES OF THREE MALAYSIAN BAMBOO SPECIES

By

ABD. LATIF MOHMOD

Thesis Submitted in Fulfilment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Science

in the Faculty of Forestry Universiti Pertanian Malaysia

December 1991

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I would l ike to expres s my grat itude to my supervisor ,

Associate Professor Mohd . Z in Jusoh for his help and advice

throughout the study . The help rendered by my co-supervisors ,

Assoc iate Professor Dr . Nik Muhamad Maj id and Mr . I smail

Hashim is also apprec iated .

Thanks are due to Dato ' Dr . Sal leh Mohd . Noor , Director

General , Forest Research Institute: Malaysia (FRIM ) for giving

me the opportunity to undertake this cours e . utmost thanks are

extended to Mr . Khoo Khean Choon of FRIM for proof reading the

manuscript .

Last but not least , heart felt apprec iat ion i s due to my

dear wife , Halidah for her constant encouragement , sacrifices

and pat ience ; and to my son , Mohd . Danial , who has given me the

strength during the course of my study . F inal ly , I dedicate

this thesis to my late parents , Mohmod and Satiah ; and best

friend , Raml i Yahaya . I wish them to be under the guidance and

in the path o f Allah s . w . t . Wassalam.

ii

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS • • • • • • • • • • • 41 . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ii

LIST OF TABLES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vi

LIST OF FIGURES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ix

LIST OF PLATES x

ABSTRACT xi

ABSTRAK

CHAPTER

I

I I

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xiii

INTRODUCTION 1

LITERATURE REVIEW 6

Types of Bamboo for Indu strial Use 6

Genus: Bambu sa Schreber 7

Genu s: Gigantochloa Kurz. 9

Properties o f Bamboo 10

Variation in Anatomical Propert ies • • • . . • • . • • 12

Variation in Physical Properties . • . • • . . • . . . • 1 7

E f fects of Anatomical and Physical Propert ies on Strength of Bamboo . • • • . • . • • . . . • . • 20

Natural Durab ility of Bamboo 2 2

Physical Factors Affecting the Natural Durability of Bamboo • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 23

iii

I I I

Chemical Factors Affect ing the Natural Durab ility of Bamboo

Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

MATERIALS AND METHODS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Source of Material s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Field Procedure

Sampling of D iscrete Portion

Determination of Phys ical Propert ies

Moisture Content

Oven-dry Dens ity

Radial and Tangent ial Shrinkage

Determinat ion of Anatomical Propert ies

Vascular Bundle D istribut ion

F ibre Length

Cell Wall Thickness

Mechanical Propert ies of Bamboo

Page

2 5

2 6

2 8

2 8

28

30

31

31

31

33

3 4

34

35

37

in Green Condit ion • • • . . • • • . . • . . • • • . • • • • • . . . • . • • 37

Shear Parallel to Grain Test 38

Compres s ion Parallel to Grain Test 4 1

Static Bending Test • . . • . • • • • • • • . • • • • • • • • • • • • 42

Machining Propert ies . . • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • . • 44

Natural Durabil ity of Bamboo 47

Starch Analys is . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

Total Avai l able Sugar Content . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

iv

IV

v

Page

Natural Durab i l ity Test . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 7

Stat istical Analys is . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

General Phy s ical Characterist ic s of Bamboo . • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • . • • • • • • • • • • 49

Anatomical Propert ies of Bamboo

Vascular Bundles

F ibre Length

Cell Wal l Thicknes s

Phys ical Propert ies

Variation in Moisture Content

Variat ion in Oven-dry Dens ity

Shr inkage

Mechanical Propert ies of Bamboo

Machining propert ies

Starch and Total Sugar Content

Relation of Borer Attack and Carbohydrate Content of Bamboo

SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS

BIBLIOGRAPHY

APPENDIX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

VITA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

v

52

57

61

62

64

65

69

7 3

7 7

85

92

100

111

117

128

131

Table

1

2

3

4

5

LIST OF TABLES

L ist of Some Bamboo Species of Peninsular

Malays ia Suitable for Industrial Use • . . . . • . . .

Propert ie� Tested Each Sample Test

Types of Machine ' satay' sticks , Manufacturing

Average Phys ical Bamboo Spe c ies

and the D imens ion of

Used Skewers

for and

Toothpicks , Chopsticks

Characterist ics of the

Correlat ion Coefficients of D i f ferent Physical Characteristics with Age and Height of Bamboo . . . . . • . . . . • . • . . . . . . . • . . . . . . . .

6 Anatomical Characteristics of the Three Bamboo Species

7 Summary of Analys is of Variance on Anatomical Characteristics of �. blumeana , � . vulgaris and Q . scort ech inii in Green Condit ion

8 Correlat ion Coe ff icient s of D i f ferent Anatomical Characteristics with Age and

Page

1 1

3 0

4 6 .

50

5 1

5 3

5 4

He ight of Bamboo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 5

9

10

1 1

1 2

1 3

Average Mo isture Content ( % ) of the Three Bamboo Spec ies . . . . . . . . . . • . . . • . . . . . . • • • . . . . . . .

summary of Analysis of Variance for Moisture Content of �. vulgari s , �. blumeana and Q. scortechinii . . • . . . . . • . . . . .

Correlat ion Coef f icients of D i f ferent Phys ical Propert ies With Anatomical Characterist ics , Age and Height of Bamboo

Average Oven-Dry Dens ity ( kg/m3 ) of the Three Bamboo Species . . . . . • . . . . • . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Summary Dens ity

of o f

Analysis Bamboo

vi

of Variance for . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

66

6 7

6 8

7 0

72

Table

14

1 5

1 6

1 7

1 8

Average Shrinkage Value ( % ) of the Three Bamboo Spec ies . . . . . . • . . . . . • . . . . . . . . . . . • . • . . .

Correlat ion Coefficients of Shrinkage with Moisture Content and Density of Bamboo

Average Mechanical Properties of the Three Bamboo Spe c ies in Green Condition . . . . • . . • . . • .

Summary o f Analys is of Variance on Mechanical Properties of �. b lumeana , �. vu lgaris and Q. scortechinii in Green Condition . . . • . . . . . . . . . . . . . • . . . • . . . . • . • . . . . . • .

Correlation Coefficients o f Age and Height on Mechanical propert ies of Bamboo . . . . . . . . . . .

19 Corre lat ion Coefficients of Physical and Anatomical Characteristics on Mechanical

Page

7 4

76

78

79

80

Properties of Bamboo . . . . • . • • . . • . . • . . • . . . . . . . . 82

2 0

2 1

2 2

2 3

2 4

2 5

Machining Species

propert ies of the Three Bamboo

Average Recovery Bamboo Products

Rate ( % Weight ) of

Summary of Analysis of Variance on Recovery Rate and Average Qual ity of Bamboo Products . . . . . . . • . . . . . . . . • . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Correlation Coef f icient s on the E ffect of Age and Height of Culms on Recovery Rate and Qual ity of Bamboo Products . • . . • . . . . .

Duncan ' s New Multiple Range Test Mean Values of Recovery Rate of Bamboo Products

Carbohydrate content (%) of Bamboo

2 6 Summary o f Analysis o f Var iance o n Carbohydrate Content of � . vu lgaris, �. blumeana and

2 7

Q . scortechinii

Means Values of of Bamboos at

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Carbohydrate Content ( % ) Different Age and Height

Level s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

vii

86

87

89

90

91

93

94

9 5

Table

28 Correlat ion Coef f ic ient s of Carbohydrate

Page

Content with Age and Culms Height . • . . . . . . . . . . 98

2 9 Average Borer Attack ( Number o f Holes ) on Bamboo After One Year of Exposure • . . . . . . . . . . . 103

3 0 Summary of Analysis o f Variance of Borer Attack on Bamboo . . • • . . • . . • . . . . • . • . . . • . • . . . . . . 103

3 1 Duncan ' s New Multiple Range Test on Mean Values of the Number of Borer Holes

32

on Bamboo

Correlation Between Borer Height and Age of Bamboo

Holes ( BH ) on

3 3 E f fects o f Carbohydrate Content o n Borer

104

106

Attack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . • . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107

3 4 E f fects of Moisture Content and Dens ity on Borer Attack . . . . . . . . . . • . . . . . . • . • . . . . . . . • . . . . . 110

viii

Figure

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

LIST OF FIGURES

A . Pos it ion of Samples Taken from a Culm

B . General Cutting of a Culm for Testing

D iscrete Zone of Samples for Determinat ion of Moisture Content and Oven-dry Dens ity

Select ion of Fibres for Measurement

J ig Assembly for Shear Testing

General Arrangement of Testing Equ ipment for Compres s ion Test • • . • . • . • • . • • . • • . • . . • . . • . •

General Arrangement of Testing Equipment for Static Bending Test . . . . . . • • • . . . . . . • . . . . . .

Product ion Flow for Toothpick , ' Satay' Stick , Skewer and Chopstick Manuf acture

General ( x 2 0 )

Cross Sect ion of Bamboo Wall s

ix

Page

2 9

2 9

3 2

36

39

4 1

43

4 5

5 6

LIST OF PLATES

Plate

1 Arrangement of Test ing Equipment for Shear Parallel to Grain Test . . • . . . . . . . • . • . • • • . . . . . .

2 Scanning E lectron Micrograph o f Parenchyma Ce l l s with Starch Granules ( x 700 ) • . • • . • . . . . .

3 Cros s Sect ion of Three-Year-Old � . blumeana Culm Wal l ( Middle Layer of the Middle

4

5

6

7

Port ion )

Cros s Sect ion of Three-Year-Old � . vulgaris Culm Wal l ( Middle Layer of the Middle Middle Port ion ) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . • . . . . . . . . . .

Cros s Section of Three-Year-Old Q . scortechinii Culm Wall ( Middle Layer o f the Middle Port ion ) . . . . . . . . • . . . • . . • . . . • . . . . . . . . . .

The Bamboo Borer Bostrychidae Family

�. minutu s o f the

Borer Attack on Bamboo Spl its

x

Page

40

5 7

5 8

58

59

102

102

Abstract o f thesis submitted to the senate o f Univers it i Pertanian Malaysia in ful f i lment o f the requ irements for the degree of Master of Science .

Chairman

Facu lty

EFFECTS OF AGE AND HEI GHT ON SELECTED

PROPERTIES OF THREE MALAYSIAN BAMBOO SPECIES

By

ABD . LATI F MOBMOD

December 1 9 91

Assoc iate Pro f . Mohd . Z in Jusoh

Forestry

Although bamboo is widely found in Peninsu lar Malaysia ,

little research has been conducted on its importance for

industrial use. A study was initiated to evaluate the effect of

age and height of three common bamboo species namely Bambusa

blumeana Schult . ' Buluh duri' , Bambu sa vu lgaris Schrad . ' Buluh

minyak' and Gigantochloa scortechini i Gamble ' Buluh semantan'

on their anatomical, physica l, me c h an i c a l and mac h i n ing

propert ies and durabi l ity against borers .

Al l the anatomical propert ies except radial/tangent ial

ratio o f the vascular bundles s ize , showed no s ignif icant

relat ionship with age and height . The f ibres of both the

xi

Bambusa species were shorter than those o f Q . s cortechinii

( ranges of 1 . 7 4 - 3 . 7 6 mm and 3 . 5 0 - 4 . 24 mm , respectively ) .

The average cell wall thickness of the three bamboo species was

in the range of 5 - 7 pm .

The init ial moisture content and oven-dry densit ie s o f the

bamboos dif fered s ignificantly with species and maturity but

not with height . The moisture content of the samples ranged

from 54 - 300 percent in ft. vu lgari s , 6 0 - 1 6 4 percent i n ft .

b lumeana and 67 - 1 3 3 percent in Q. scortechinii . The densities

of the bamboos , however , were in the range of 200 - 630 kg/m3 ,

3 6 0 - 690 kg/m3 and 380 - 620 kg/m3 in ft. vu lgaris , ft . blumeana

and Q . scortechini i , respectively . The radial and tangent ial

shrinkages decreased with increase in age and culm height . In

general , the strength propert ies of the bamboos increased with

age and culm height .

Bamboo should be harvested and processed at two years of

age with usage limited to the basal and middle portion to

ensure good quality products . Q. scortechinii, which generally

pos ses sed a higher content of starch and total sugars , was

observed to be less susceptible to borer attack t han both the

Bambusa species . This indicates that the durab i l ity of bamboo

may also be affected by its inherent physical and chemical

properties besides its carbohydrate content .

xii

Abstrak tesis ini dikemukakan kepada Senat Universiti Pertanian Malaysia sebagai mernenuhi keperluan untuk mendapatkan ij azah Master Sain s .

KESAB UMUR DAN KETINGGIAN BATANG TERHADAP BEBERAPA

SIFAT TERPILIH PADA TIGA JENIS BULUB MALAYSIA

Oleh

ABD. LATIF MOllMOn

D isernber 19 9 1

pengerusi Pro f . Madya Mohd . Z in Jusoh

Fakulti Perhutanan

Buluh boleh dijumpai dengan mudahnya di kebanyakan kawasan

di semenanj ung Malaysia . Narnun demikian , kerj a penyel idikan

yang d i j a l ankan kurang mernbe r ikan t umpu an t e r h adap

kepentingannya sebagai bahan asas perindustrian . Memandangkan

kepada banyaknya buluh yang hidup rnel iar di negara ini , satu

kaj ian as as dijalankan bagi menilai kesan urnur dan ketinggian

batang di dalarn t iga j enis buluh utarna iaitu Barnbusa blurneana

schu lt . ( Bu luh dur i ) , � . vulgaris Schrad ( Buluh minyak ) dan Q .

s co rt e c h i n i i Gamb l e ( Bu l u h sema nt an ) t er hadap s i f at - s i f at

anatomi , f izikal , mekanikal , pemerosesan , kandungan pemakanan

dan kerintangannya terhadap kurnbang bubuk .

xiii

Umur dan ketinggian batang didapati t idak memberi kesan

y a n g berert i t e rh adap s i f at anatomi ( ke c u a l i n i s b ah

j ej ari/tangen ) . Gentian bagi kedua-dua spesis Bambusa j uga

didapati lebih pendek · ( j ulat antara 1 . 74 - 3 . 7 6 rom) berbanding

Q. scortechinii ( 3 . 50 - 4 . 24 rom). Ketebalan dinding sel ketiga­

t iga buluh pul a adalah di dalam j u l at purata diantara 5 - 7 fm .

Kandungan lembapan dan ketumpatan buluh amat dipengaruhi

o l e h p e n i ngkatan urnur t et ap i b e r b e z a rneng i kut ket inggi an

batang . Kandungan lembapan buluh-buluh adalah berjul at antara

54 - 300 peratus , 60 - 1 64 peratus dan 67 - 1 3 3 peratus setiap

satunya di dalam � . vulgari s , � . b lurneana dan Q . scortechinii .

Keturnpatan buluh pula adalah di dalam l ingkungan 200 630

kg/rn3 (�. vu lgaris ) , 3 60 - 690 kg/m3 ( � . b lumeana ) dan 380 -

620 kg/m3 ( Q . scortechinii ) . Nilai pengecutan bagairnanapun

didapat i rnenurun mengikut kenaikan urnur dan ket inggian batang .

Ini berbeza pada s ifat mekanikal yang secara amnya dipengaruhi

oleh kenaikan umur dan ketinggian batang buluh . Penuaian buluh

b a g i tu j u an pembu atan a d a l ah d i c adangkan supaya d i l akukan

selepas ianya berumur dua tahun dan dengan had penggunaan dari

bahagian pangkal ke tengah batang bagi menj amin kadar pul angan ,

mutu dan hayat barangan yang lebih baik.

Walaupun Q . scortechinii didapati mengandungi kanj i dan

j umlah gul a yang lebih tinggi , kerintangannya terhadap serangan

xiv

kumbang bubuk ternyata lebih baik berbanding dengan kedua-dua

b u l u h l a i n yang d ikaj i . I n i membawa penger t i an b a h awa

k e r e n t a n a n b u l u h j uga me l ib at ka n s i f at - s i f at f i z i k a l d an

kandungan kimia tertentu yang dimiliki oleh j enis-j enis buluh

itu sendiri .

xv

CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

Bamboo belongs to a unique group o f p l ants o f the giant

arborescent grass family ( Gram ineae ) in which the woody culms

emerge from underground rhizomes . It i s a shrub that has a

tree- like habit with culms that are usually erect but sometimes

c l imb ing ( Holtum , 1959 ; Liese , 198 5 ) . It is also characterised

by it s woody , mostly hollow culms with internodes and branches

at the nodes of culms .

Bamboo generally grows in forest areas from sea level to

about 400 m above sea level in all cont inents except Europe .

Out of an est imated 600 - 700 species in the world , more than

half can be found in As ia ( Liese , 1 9 8 5 ) . B amboos , l ike other

l ignocellulosic materials have long been explo ited by mankind

for various purposes in many developing countries in As ia,

Africa and South America ( Tewari and B indhi S ingh , 1 9 7 9 ) . It is

cons idered as one of the oldest bu ilding materials used in the

rural areas and vil lages , and is popul ar mainly due to its

avail ab i l ity, low cost , strength , and the fact that it i s a

high yielding renewab le resource .

In Malaysia, bamboo is found in abundance although widely

scattered in about f ive percent of the tot a l forest reserve

a r e a ( Ab d . L at i f , 1 9 8 7 ) . I t h a s , however , r e c e ived

1

2

comparat ively l ittle attention as far as research is concerned .

Forest management in Malays i a , for instance , has not given due

emphas i s.

to bamboo as an . industrial resource to be exploited

systemati cal ly . Traditionally, bamboo has been considered as a

weed in forestry pract ice in which attempt s were made to

prevent or control its growth ( Medway , 19 7 3 ; Ng , 1980 ; Sal leh

and Wong , 198 7 ) .

The bamboo industry in Malays ia goes back to 1 9 5 0 ' s when

bamboo was commonly explo ited for craft and agri cu ltural needs .

Among the products are baskets for transporting vegetables ,

poultry and hogs . The industry which produces these products is

mainly cottage as wel l as part time in nature . The work force

compr ises mostly housewives and children to supplement the

family income ( Abd . Latif et al . , 1989 ) . Due to the current

demand for disposable items such as chopst i cks , the bamboo

mach ine- intens ive industry has been booming over the last f ive

years . This has encouraged the import o f Taiwanese- and

Japanese-made machines for process ing Malaysian bamboos . As a

result , bamboo which was once cons idered a weed has been

exten s ive ly e x p l o i t e d to meet t he demand f rom c o nsumer

countries particularly Japan , the Republ ic of Taiwan and Korea .

One hundred and four machine- intens ive bamboo processing

f ac t o r i e s have been e s t ab l i s h ed s in c e 1 9 8 5 i n P e n i n s u l ar

Malays i a . These are mostly located in t he west coast of

3

t he pen i n s u l a r and produ c e b amboo p r o du c t s l i ke s kewe r s ,

chopsticks, furniture, spec i f ic craft items and j oss paper for

religious purposes ( Abd . Lat i f et al . , 1989 ) . Even though the

number of mi l l s has increased, The Malays ian Department o f

Statistics reported that Peninsular Malays ia exported only

about MR 2 1 8 , 6 8 5 FOB worth of bamboo products in 1988 , that is

approximately 0 . 6 percent of the global market ( Malays ian Trade

Commiss ion Tokyo, 1988 ) . The pr imary reason for this miniscule

export quantity is that the quality of local ly-made bamboo

produ c t s i s c o n s idered r e l at iv e l y p o o r t o meet the h i gh

standards imposed by the import ing countries ( Lee, 1989 ) . This

industrial set-back is related to indiscriminate harvest ing of

b amboo w i t hout mu ch cons iderat i o n g iven to it s f i n a l or

spec i f ic intended usage .

The select ion of bamboo materials su itab le for machine­

intens ive indu stry, construct ion and hous ing is dictated by its

anatom i c a l , phy s i c a l and mecha n i c a l propert ie s . Improper

selection of age and species of bamboo wi l l o ften resu lt in

h igher w a s t age and product s of l ow grade for export .

Furthermore, bamboo is also prone to fungal and insect attacks

due to the available nutrients such as starch and sugars

( Plank, 1 9 5 0 ; L iese, 1980 ; Sulthoni, 1987 , 1 9 88 ) . Detailed

studies on the relationship of species, age and height to the

natural durabi l ity will further lead to proper select ion of

more resistant bamboos for industrial applicat ion .

4

No published report exists on the e ffect o f species , age

and stem sections on the properties o f natural stand Malaysian

bazrtboos for industrial use. Therefore , the general obj ective o f

this study is to assess the variation in some natural stand o f

b amboo spec ie s . Three common ly ut i l i z e d Ma l ay s i a n b amb o o s

name l y Bambu s a b l umeana S c hu l t ( Bu l uh d ur i ) , �. vu lga r i s

Schrad . ( Buluh minyak ) and Gigantochloa scortechinii Gamble

( Buluh semantan ) of known age ( one- to three-years-old ) were

se lected for the study . The parameters used are the anatomical

propert ies name ly, fibre length, vascul ar bundle distribut ion

and size , and cell wal l thickness . The phys ical propert ies

measured are mo isture content , dens ity and shrinkage ; while the

mechanical propert ies measured inc lude shear , compres s ion and

bending strengt h . Machining propert ies , c arbohydrate content

( starch and total sugars ) and the natural durabil ity towards

borer are also taken into cons iderat ion . The above propert ies

were studied because of their importance in the manufacturing

process and in the ultimate product qua l ity and durab i l ity .

The highly variable propert ies o f bamboo present problems

i n proc e s s i ng and ut i l i z a t i o n . Thu s , future proc e s s ing

improvement should be focussed on harvest ing bamboo o f des ired

qual ity, species and suitable age for end-uses . The inter­

relationship of the properties studied may indicate whether

s i l v i cu lt u r e t re atment , t r e e impro vement , and harve s t ing

practices are required to produce bamboo stands with improved

5

propert ies suitable for manufacturing purposes . The study was

conducted at the Forest Research Inst itute of Malaysia ( FRIM ) ,

Kepong, Selangor , Malaysia where the naturally occuring bamboo

samples of known age were obtained .

CHAPTER II

LITERATURE REVIEW

Informat ion on the basic propert ies of Malays ian bamboos

part icularly in relat ion to their industrial appl icat ions is

very l imited . Since many bamboo species remain unutilized,

research ef fort is needed to determine the propert ies of such

species and to develop appropriate technology to ut ilize them .

Due to lack of research information on local bamboos, a maj or

portion o f this l iterature review is based on the work done by

researchers in other countries .

Types of Bamboo for Industrial Use

Out of the 45 bamboo species ident if ied by Holtum ( 19 5 8 )

in Peninsular Malaysia, only about 13 species are widely used .

These inc lude Bambusa blumeana schult, � . heterostachya Munro ,

� . vu lgaris Schrad . , Dendrocalamu s asper ( Schu lt . ) Backer , Q.

pendulus Ridl . , Gigantochloa lat i folia Ridl . , Q. levis ( B lanco )

Merr . , Q . ligul ata Gamb le, Q. scortechinii Gamble, Q. wrayi

Gamble, Schizostachyum brachyladum Kurz, and §. . grande Ridl .

( Holtum, 1 9 5 8 ; Gilliland et al . , 1972 ; Ng, 1980; Abd . Lat if,

1 9 8 7 ) .

6

7

This sect ion describes the three species selected for this

study .

Genus : Bambusa Schreber

B ambo o s t h at are grouped in t h i s g e nu s are e a s i l y

ident if ied from the culm sheath auricles and their stiff

sheath-blade covered with darkish brown hairs . This genus can

also be recognised by the presence of thorns or spikes at the

lateral branches . Some common examples are :

Bambusa blumeana Schult . ( Buluh dur i )

The shoot of this spec ies has dark brown hairs which get s

darker towards the apex . The culms are tal l , about 10 cm in

diameter and grow in clumps and easily recognised by thorny

characteristics from the copiou s spreading low thorny branches .

This species is classified as large diameter bamboo .

The culm sheath may extend up to 3 0 cm and its back is

covered with loose dark brown hair . The internodes are green

and glabrous when young with lateral branches borne almost at

the basal port ion . The lower branches spread horizont al ly and

bear stout , curved spines in groups of three , with the middle

spines being longest .

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The ligules are stiff and about 5 mm to 1 2 mm tall in the

middle while the outer part consists of a stiff bristle about

12 rom long .

This bamboo i s widely distributed in Java and Eastern

Peninsular Malaysia and traditionally used for furniture and

musical instrument ( Ng , 1980 ) .

� . vulgaris Schrad . ( Buluh minyak , aao, aro , beting , pan ) .

The c lump is usually big and umbrella-shaped . It is a

common s ight in the village and on river banks .

The eulms are about 10 - 20 m tall , slightly irregular ,

and about 5 - 10 cm in diameter at the base . The culm is

classified as big diameter bamboo and not closely tufted . The

culm internode is green in colour . Culm sheath is densely

covered with appres sed almost black loos e hairs . The sheath

blade is ye llowish when young .

The nodes are prominent, with 20 - 4 5 em internode lengt h ,

poss e s s appressed dark hairs and scales of wax when young

but become smooth and shiny with age . The ligules are normally

3 rom tall or more , with slightly crisped edges and short hairs .

The origin o f this bamboo is stil l unknown , but it is

often cultivated in the tropics , inc luding Malaysia . It can be

found growing abundant ly on the river

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b anks and are valued

for it s good quality edible shoots ( Hildebrand , 1 9 5 4 ) besides

being used for toothpicks , bl inds , chopst icks and ornamental

purposes ( Abd . Lat i f , 1987 ; Abd . Lat i f et al . , 1 9 89 ) .

Genus : Giqantochloa Kurz .

The sp e c ie s b e l o nging to t hi s g e nu s grow in Burm a ,

I nd o c h i na , t h e Ma lay arch ipe l ago a n d t h e P h i l ippine s .

Gigantochloa can be identified in the field by its straight

culm, almost low but firm auric les with narrow sheath-bl ade .

The ligule is often tall and thin , with the blade either erect

or def l exed . The most common species is :

Q . scortechinii Gamble ( Buluh semantan ) .

The culms are about 10 - 20 m tall, straight and usually

covered with fine , white waxy powder when young , green when old

and with internodes o f about 40 cm long . The culm-sheath is

light orange at the top when young and covered with appres sed ,

coarse nearly black hairs . The sheath blade is much narrower

than the top o f the culm-sheath , and de flexed at right angles .

The branches at each node are few but with dense foliage ;

t h e au r i cl e s are small and u s u ally a c c omp a n i e d w i t h f ew