Abstract

Flowering of four reed bamboos, viz. Ochlandra ebracteata, O. scriptoria, O. travancorica and O. travancorica var. hirsuta, was observed in Kerala during 1992-93. Generally flowering had initiated by January and fruits were ripened by April. Observations were made on the morphological characters of the fruits and viability. Of the four species, O. travancorica var. hirsuta had the biggest fruits and O. scriptoria had the smallest. Viability varied from one month to four months, depending on the species