Bamboo Setum

Bamboos are giant grasses belonging to the subfamily Bambusoideae of Gramineae. There are about 1250 species of bamboos belonging to 75 genera, distributed in humid tropical, subtropical and temperate regions of the world.

“Bambusetum” means a garden having a collection of bamboo plants.

India is the second richest country in bamboo genetic resources, after China.  There are about 125 species of bamboos belonging to 23 genera in India.  Of these, 8 genera with 32 species are distributed in Peninsular India and the others in north-eastern states.  The Western Ghats harbour 23 taxa belonging to 8 genera, of which 9 species are considered to be rare or threatened.

Uses: Bamboo reeds are used to manufacture articles like mats, baskets, fishing rods, broom handle, curtains, furniture, musical instruments, sports goods, toys  etc; in the construction of huts, motels, houses, and in agricultural and horticultural pursuits; as raw material for producing decorative items like bamboo mat plywood, bamboo particle board, bamboo fibre board, bamboo moulded articles, bamboo paneling etc; as raw material in the pulp and paper industry.

Young bamboo shoots of some species are used as vegetables and made into pickles. They are also reported to be useful to treat cough and asthma.

In this bambusetum there are 27 species of bamboos belonging to 8 genera.
List of bamboo species introduced in the Bambusetum
1. Arundinaria sp                                                                    
2. Bambusa  balcooa Roxb.                                                    
3. Bambusa bambos (L.) Voss                                                
4. Bambusa membranaceus                                                    
5. Bambusa nutans Wallich                                                     
6. Bambusa polymorpha Munro                                                        
7. Bambusa tulda Roxb.                                                                   
8. Bambusa ventricosa McClure                                              
9. Bambusa vulgaris Schrader ex Wendl. (green)                     
10. Bambusa vulgaris Schrader ex Wendl. (yellow)                           
11. Bambusa vulgaris Schrader var. straita (Lodd.) Gamble       
12. Bambusa wamin Camus                                                    
13. Bambusa sp. (Burma bamboo) 
14. Bambusa sp.                                                                     
15. Dendrocalamus brandisii (Munro) Kurz                             
16. Dendrocalamus gigateus Munro                                        
17. Dendrocalamus longispathus Kurz                                    
18. Dendrocalamus membranaceus Munro                              
19. Dendrocalamus strictus (Roxb.) Nees                                
20. Ochlandra ebracteata Raizada & Chatterji                         
21. Ochlandra scriptoria (Dennst.) C. Fischer                          
22. Ochlandra travancorica Benth.                                          
23. Oxytenathera abyssinica (A. Rich) Munro                          
24. Oxytenathera ritcheyi (Munro) Blatter & McCann
     (Oxytenathera monostigma Beddome)                                 
25. Phyllostachys nigra (Lindley) Munro                                  
26. Pseudoxytenanthera stocksii (Munro) Naithani
    (Oxytenathera stocksii Munro)                                              
27. Thyrsostachys siamensis Gamble