Flowering Records of Commercial Bamboo Lathi Bans (<i>Dendrocalamus strictus</i>) - An Update

Dendrocalamus strictus (Male Bamboo), locally called Lathi bans is one of the most commercially important bamboo of India. It occupies 53 per cent of total bamboo area in India. Flowering cycle of Dendrocalamus strictus varies from 25-45 years. It commences with sporadic flowering for 2-3 years. In bamboos during the process of gregarious flowering each species/clump of bamboo governed by certain genetic mechanism related with dates or age of the genetic stocif, the entire species at appropriate time switches over from vegetative growth to the production of flowers. The exact flowering cycle (from seed to seed) of bamboos are known for few species. Herbarium collection records plays an Important role In detecting flowering cycle of bamboo species Mostly of the species reports on flowering cycle are based on speculation and estimation. The study of bamboo flowering currently is a bedevilled problem for the Foresters and Scientists. The flowering is very rare in most o f the species and historical records are fragmentary, without adequate verification. The reporting of flowering episodes in bamboos Is Important as it would enable the development of databases containing such information. As the flowering cycle differs among different bamboo species, every flowering event needs to be recorded for each species. Such a flowering database could be utilized for predicting upcoming flowering events in particular species and for guiding post-flowering management. Present study reveals the flowering patterns o f commercial bamboo named Dendrocalamus strictus.