Chusquea culeou
| Chusquea culeou | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Colehual, colihues' bush in San Fabián de Alico. | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Monocots |
| (unranked): | Commelinids |
| Order: | Poales |
| Family: | Poaceae |
| Subfamily: | Bambusoideae |
| Genus: | Chusquea |
| Species: | C. culeou |
| Binomial name | |
| Chusquea culeou Desvaux. | |
Chusquea culeou, the Chilean bamboo,[1] (Spanish: caña coligüe or colihue) is a species of flowering plant in the grass family Poaceae. An evergreen bamboo native to South America, unlike most species within the genus Chusquea, it is frost-tolerant and thus widely cultivated in temperate regions.
Distribution
It is native to the Valdivian rainforests, humid temperate forests of Chile and southwestern Argentina.
Description
Growing to 8 m (26 ft) tall by 1.5 m (4.9 ft) broad, Chusquea culeou forms a substantial clump of greenery. It has hairy lanceolate leaves with a spine on their end, and its flower is a whisk of light brown colour. The plant also produces a caryopsis fruit. After blooming and releasing its seeds, the plant dies. The cane is straight, up to 6 m (20 ft) in height, and was used by the Aboriginals for the pole of their spears. They are still used by the Mapuche people for a musical instrument known as trutruca.
A feature of this Chusquea is that the stems are solid, unlike most bamboos.
Cultivation
Chusquea culeou is cultivated as an ornamental plant in gardens.
This plant has gained the Royal Horticultural Society’s Award of Garden Merit[1] (confirmed 2017).[2]
References
- 1 2 "RHS Plantfinder - Chusquea culeou". Retrieved 12 January 2018.
- ↑ "AGM Plants - Ornamental" (PDF). Royal Horticultural Society. July 2017. p. 20. Retrieved 24 January 2018.
External links
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