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Tali bamboo (Gigantochloa apus)

Tali bamboo (Gigantochloa apus) is a plant species in Poaceae, the reeds grow upright and tall with a shady canopy in the colony and form very tight clusters, the leaves grow at the end of the stalk, widely used as raw material for making handicrafts.

G. apus grows in clumps, tight and erect. Bamboo shoots are green, covered with brown and black miang hairs. The reed is cylindrical, straight up, 22 meters high with a curved tip and begins to form branches at 1.5 m above the ground.

Dlium Tali bamboo (Gigantochloa apus)


The reed has a diameter of 4-15 cm, has segments with a length of 20-60 cm, a wall thickness of 1.5 cm, the outer surface is gray or light green or yellowish green, the inner surface is white or yellow or brown.

The frond does not fall out quickly, is trapezoidal, 7-35 cm long, 8-26 cm wide, green and turns yellowish brown, the outer side is covered with dark brown miang hairs which then fall out when the midrib dries.

The midrib is triangular in shape with a narrow base, 3-10 cm long, 2-5 cm wide and curved back. The frond ears are like a frame, 4-8 mm wide, 1-3 mm high and up to 7 mm bristles. The ligula is serrated, 2-4 mm high and locos.

The leaves on the twigs are lanceolate, 13-49 cm long, 2-9 cm wide, the underside is slightly hairy. The frond ears are small and rounded, 1-2 mm high and lokos. Ligules are flat, 2-4 mm high and locos.



Inflorescences in panicles on leafy twigs in clusters of up to 30 spikelets on each internode and 1-8.5 cm apart. The spikelet is narrow ovoid, 13-22 mm long, 2-3 mm wide, has 2-3 empty glumas and 3 perfect florets.

Tali bamboo prefer hot and humid areas up to 1500 meters in disturbed forest, open areas and river banks on sandy or gravelly soils. The reeds become thin in dry places.

Bamboo slats were taken from 3 year old reeds and dried in air to a moisture content of 15.1% to obtain mechanical properties, for blades with and without internodes, respectively.

Specific gravity 0.50-0.67, fracture strength 87.5 N/mm2 and 74.9 N/mm2, parallel compression strength 37.5 N/mm2 and 33.9 N/mm2, shear strength 7.47 N/mm2 and 7.65 N/mm2, tensile strength 299 N/mm2.

The starch content of the reeds was 0.24-0.71% depending on the season. To reduce starch content and increase the durability of bamboo as a building material, it is usually soaked in water for 30 days and dried until it turns yellow and completely dry.

This bamboo is preferred for making various baskets and household wicker items, cooking utensils, fishing gear, furniture, musical instruments, ropes, and so on. Also used as poles, walls, floors, roofs, construction of various other buildings including bridges. Also fiberboard material.

The roots and reeds are used to treat diabetes and rejuvenate the skin. Root and reed extracts contain palmitic acid, stearic acid, oleic acid, curcumene, limonene, toluene, etc. Leaf extract has the property of inhibiting the activity of Escherichia coli.

Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Subphylum: Angiospermae
Class: Liliopsida
Order: Poales
Family: Poaceae
Subfamily: Bambusoideae
Tribe: Bambuseae
Subtribe: Bambusinae
Genus: Gigantochloa
Species: Gigantochloa apus

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