Yushania alpina
Encyclopedia
Yushania alpina or African alpine bamboo, a perennial
bamboo
of the family Poaceae
and the genus Yushania
or the genus Sinarundinaria
but not of the genus Chimonocalamus
that can be found growing in dense but not large stands on the mountains and volcanoes surrounding the Great Rift Valley
between the altitudes of 2,500 meters (8,200 feet)
and 3,300 meters (11,000 feet).
Flowers: Branched cluster of flowers in solitary spikes which can be dense or loose and are 5 - 15 centimeters (2 - 6 inches) long.
Roots: Short rhizomes described as pachymorph (a term which is recommended for describing rhizomes which are sympodial
or superposed in such a way as to imitate a simple axis, but the word pachymorph would not be used for describing branches or in the case of bamboos, culms).
bamboo
Bamboo
Bamboo is a group of perennial evergreens in the true grass family Poaceae, subfamily Bambusoideae, tribe Bambuseae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family....
of the family Poaceae
Poaceae
The Poaceae is a large and nearly ubiquitous family of flowering plants. Members of this family are commonly called grasses, although the term "grass" is also applied to plants that are not in the Poaceae lineage, including the rushes and sedges...
and the genus Yushania
Yushania
Yushania is a genus of bamboo always of the family Poaceae and now of the woody bamboo tribe Bambuseae and the supertribe Bambusodae which have both been experiencing many name changes....
or the genus Sinarundinaria
but not of the genus Chimonocalamus
Chimonocalamus
Chimonocalamus is a genus of bamboo. Some of the species are aromatic and grown as ornamental plants.-Synonymy:The genus is also known as Sinarundinaria Nakai, a genus that includes a the species Sinarundinaria alpina...
that can be found growing in dense but not large stands on the mountains and volcanoes surrounding the Great Rift Valley
Great Rift Valley
The Great Rift Valley is a name given in the late 19th century by British explorer John Walter Gregory to the continuous geographic trench, approximately in length, that runs from northern Syria in Southwest Asia to central Mozambique in South East Africa...
between the altitudes of 2,500 meters (8,200 feet)
and 3,300 meters (11,000 feet).
Description
Stems and leaves: 200 - 1,950 centimeters (6 – 64 feet) tall and 5 - 125 centimeters (2 - 50 inches) in diameter; these grass stems get used as fencing, plumbing and other building materials. Culm sheaths (tubular coverings) are hairless or with red bristles.- Leaf sheath is covered with bristles. Leaf blades are "deciduous at the liguleLiguleA ligule — is a thin outgrowth at the junction of leaf and leafstalk of many grasses and sedges or a strap-shaped corolla, such as that of a ray floret in plants in the daisy family....
"; blades 5 - 20 centimeters (2 - 8 inches) long.
Flowers: Branched cluster of flowers in solitary spikes which can be dense or loose and are 5 - 15 centimeters (2 - 6 inches) long.
Roots: Short rhizomes described as pachymorph (a term which is recommended for describing rhizomes which are sympodial
Sympodial
Sympodial means "with conjoined feet", and in biology is often used to refer to the outward morphology or mode of growth of organisms.-In botany:...
or superposed in such a way as to imitate a simple axis, but the word pachymorph would not be used for describing branches or in the case of bamboos, culms).
Distribution
Native- AfrotropicAfrotropicThe Afrotropic is one of the Earth's eight ecozones. It includes Africa south of the Sahara Desert, the southern and eastern fringes of the Arabian Peninsula, the island of Madagascar, southern Iran and extreme southwestern Pakistan, and the islands of the western Indian Ocean. It was formerly...
:- Northeast Tropical Africa: EthiopiaEthiopiaEthiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
, SudanSudanSudan , officially the Republic of the Sudan , is a country in North Africa, sometimes considered part of the Middle East politically. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the... - East Tropical Africa: KenyaKenyaKenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
, TanzaniaTanzaniaThe United Republic of Tanzania is a country in East Africa bordered by Kenya and Uganda to the north, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west, and Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique to the south. The country's eastern borders lie on the Indian Ocean.Tanzania is a state...
, UgandaUgandaUganda , officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. Uganda is also known as the "Pearl of Africa". It is bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by South Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by... - West-Central Tropical Africa: BurundiBurundiBurundi , officially the Republic of Burundi , is a landlocked country in the Great Lakes region of Eastern Africa bordered by Rwanda to the north, Tanzania to the east and south, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west. Its capital is Bujumbura...
, CameroonCameroonCameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon , is a country in west Central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west; Chad to the northeast; the Central African Republic to the east; and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the Republic of the Congo to the south. Cameroon's coastline lies on the...
, CongoRepublic of the CongoThe Republic of the Congo , sometimes known locally as Congo-Brazzaville, is a state in Central Africa. It is bordered by Gabon, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo , the Angolan exclave province of Cabinda, and the Gulf of Guinea.The region was dominated by...
, RwandaRwandaRwanda or , officially the Republic of Rwanda , is a country in central and eastern Africa with a population of approximately 11.4 million . Rwanda is located a few degrees south of the Equator, and is bordered by Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo...
, DR Congo - South Tropical Africa: MalawiMalawiThe Republic of Malawi is a landlocked country in southeast Africa that was formerly known as Nyasaland. It is bordered by Zambia to the northwest, Tanzania to the northeast, and Mozambique on the east, south and west. The country is separated from Tanzania and Mozambique by Lake Malawi. Its size...
, ZambiaZambiaZambia , officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. The neighbouring countries are the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the north, Tanzania to the north-east, Malawi to the east, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Namibia to the south, and Angola to the west....
- Northeast Tropical Africa: Ethiopia