Melocanna

Life-forms

Classification System: APG IV

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Regnum: Plantae
Cladus: Angiosperms
Cladus: Monocots
Cladus: Commelinids
Ordo: Poales

Familia: Poaceae
Subfamilia: Bambusoideae
Tribus: Bambuseae
Subtribus: Melocanninae
Genus: Melocanna
Species: M. arundina – M. baccifera
Name

Melocanna Trin., Neue Entdeck. Pflanzenk. 2: 43 (1820)
Type species: Melocanna baccifera (Roxb.) Kurz, Prelim. Rep. Forest Pegu, App. B: 94 (1875)

Synonyms

Heterotypic
Beeha Kunth, Syn. Pl. Aequin. 1: 253 (1822).

References

Trinius,C.B. von (1820) Neue Entdeckungen im Ganzen Umfang der Pflanzenkunde 2: 43.
Govaerts, R. et al. 2013. Melocanna in World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published on the internet. Accessed: 2013 Nov. 24. Reference page.
Simon, B.K., Clayton, W.D., Harman, K.T., Vorontsova, M., Brake, I., Healy, D. & Alfonso, Y. 2013. GrassWorld, Melocanna. Published on the internet. Accessed: 2013 Nov. 24.
Tropicos.org 2013. Melocanna. Missouri Botanical Garden. Published on the internet. Accessed: 2013 Nov. 24.
International Plant Names Index. 2013. Melocanna. Published online. Accessed: 24 Nov. 2013.

Melocanna is a genus of Asian clumping bamboo in the grass family.[2][3]

The 48-year cycle of M. baccifera in northeastern India is responsible for the phenomenon called "mautam" or "bamboo death", in which large populations of bamboo flower at the same time, this being followed by a plague of rats, which in turn triggers a famine within the human populations.

Species[1][4]

Melocanna arundina C.E.Parkinson – Thailand, Myanmar; naturalized in parts of southern China
Melocanna baccifera (Roxb.) Kurz - Nagaland, Nepal, Sikkim, Bhutan, Assam, Mizoram, Manipur, Bangladesh, Myanmar; sparingly naturalized in parts of West Indies and South America

Formerly included[1]

see Bambusa, Cephalostachyum, Gigantochloa, Nastus, Ochlandra, and Schizostachyum

M. clarkei – Cephalostachyum mannii
M. elegantissima – Nastus elegantissimus
M. excelsa – Gigantochloa verticillata
M. gracilis – Schizostachyum gracile
M. kurzii – Bambusa schizostachyoides
M. rheedei – Ochlandra scriptoria
M. virgata – Cephalostachyum virgatum
M. zollingeri – Schizostachyum zollingeri

References

Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
Trinius, Carl Bernhard von. 1820. Neue Entdeckungen im Ganzen Umfang der Pflanzenkunde 2: 43. descriptions in Latin, commentary in German
Tropicos, Melocanna Trin.
The Plant List search for Melocanna