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Yushania microphylla (Dz. mingma, Keng. meg)                                                                T45

 

This is a common bamboo of cool temperate areas, extending down to 2,500m in wet gullies. It also reaches the subalpine level at 3,500m, and it often forms large areas of grazing land. It is usually found on gently sloping wet areas, rather than steep slopes. It is usually heavily browsed and also often burnt, so that it is commonly less than 1m tall, with balls of short branches at each node and leaves of less than 3cm. The culms can be up to 3m tall and 1.5cm in diameter, with leaves of up to 10cm, when protected from grazing. This species can be distinguished from other Yushania species and from Sarocalamus racemosus by the transparent bands along leaf edges, which are especially  thick  along  one  edge.  The  new  culms

 

can be rough or smooth. As in Y. yadongensis the rhizome necks are hollow, even at the nodes, producing long hollow cylinders. They also both have persistent rings of flaky wax below the culm nodes. These changes from white to black with age. Unlike Y. yadongensis there are no hairs at the culm sheath base, the leaf sheath auricle is large with spreading setae, and the culm is not ribbed. This bamboo is often too short to interfere with tree regeneration, and it is important for livestock and wildlife in the winter months, both in open grazing areas, and in the forest. Small shoots may be eaten by black-necked cranes. The long hollow rhizome necks may assist in drainage and aeration in flat seasonally waterlogged sites.

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