Abstract

In Peninsular India, Bambusoideae is represented by 22 species and two varieties under seven genera. Ochlandra Thwaites is the dominant genus of South India comprising eleven species and one variety so far reported from South India and widely distributed. In the present report the species Ochlandra travancorica var. hirsuta Gamble, O. sivagiriana (Gamble) Camus and O. soderstromiana Muktesh & Stephen are synonymised under O. travancorica (Bedd.) Benth. The following species namely, Ochlandra beddomei, O. scriptoria, O. travancorica and O. wightii are typified. Critical and detailed study revealed that true monadelphous condition does not exist in the genus Ochlandra. Based on the affinities, the species under the genus Ochlandra are grouped as Travancorica group and Scriptoria group. A new combination under the genus Dendrocalamus is proposed. A species from the genus Oxytenanthera is transferred to the genus Dendrocalamus. The species Dendrocalamus strictus was typified. After a detailed study, the variety Bambusa bambos var. gigantea is treated as a synonym of Bambusa bambos. In the present study, the genus name Oxytenanthera is retained. The spelling in the specific epithet of O. bourdillonii and O. ritchiei are corrected and O. bourdillonii typified. The genus Arundinaria in South India previously treated under Sinarundinaria has been reverted to the genus Arundinaria and A. wightiana is typified. Teinostachyum wightii was previously treated under the genus Schizostachyum as S. beddomei. The basionym Teinostachyum wightii is accepted and typified in the present study.

According to the present study, there are 22 native species of bamboos in South India. Out of the 22 species, 20 are distributed in Kerala, 6 in Karnataka, 5 in Tamil Nadu and 2 in Andhra Pradesh. Among these, 13 species are endemic to this phytogeographic region. In the Southern Western Ghats bamboos form a major component of the biodiversity. They show a high degree of endemism and most of the species have a restricted distribution. Recently, some of the so far known endemic species are found distributed in Sri Lanka. This gives an indication of the affinities of the Sri Lankan flora with the flora of South India.