Dendrocalamus hamiltonii
Family:- Poaceae
Vernacular name:- Hetey ahe(Nyishi)
Common Name:- Bamboo
General_Information
Dendrocalamus hamiltonii is an evergreen, clump-forming bamboo with woody culms that are often very pendulous and can grow 12 – 25 metres tall. The culms are 9 – 20cm in diameter at the base, with internodes apart and walls 12 – 20mm thick.
The plant is commonly harvested from the wild for local use as a food and source of materials. It is cultivated for its edible shoots in India and China, whilst it is also grown as a windbreak in tea plantations and for the multipurpose culms. Currently wild stands are endangered by over-exploitation for paper pulp.
Uses
The culms are used for constructions (houses, bridges, fence) and various household utensils such as water containers (Paabum, Patak) by Northeasterners of India. The culms are widely utilized for pulp to make paper. Split culms are used for making baskets and mats. Harvesting may start 3 – 4 years after a clump has begun to produce culms of maximum size.
Only culms older than 3 years are harvestable and harvesting should never be done during the growing season. It is recommended to cut the culms lower than 30cm above the ground level, but not below the 2nd node. Debris and cut branches should always be removed completely. The skin of the culms can be used for binding and caning of chairs.
Edible_Uses
Young shoots are widely consumed as a vegetable by NorthEast people of India. A sour foodingredients, known as ‘hiyup & ekung’, are made from the shoots in Arunachal Pradesh, India.
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