Morphological characteristics of bambusa vulgaris and the distribution and shape of vascular bundles therein1

Abstract

Bamboo culm comprises internodes and nodes and is tapered from the bottom to the top. Anatomically, bamboo culm comprises vascular bundles and parenchymal base tissue. The gross anatomical structure of a transverse section of any culm internode is determined by the shape, size, arrangement, and number of vascular bundles. The purpose of this research was to examine the morphology of culm and the distribution and shape of vascular bundles in Ampel bamboo (Bambusa vulgaris). Bamboo culms were harvested from the base. Test samples were obtained from a central 2-cm long segment of each internode across the entire length of the culm. Results showed an uneven spread of vascular bundles in the internode cross-section. Transitioning from the outer to the inner layer of the internode, the number of vascular bundles per unit area decreased and their shape was variable. The size of vascular bundles in the middle layer of the internode was greater than that of those in the outer and inner layers. The shape of vascular bundles was circular in the outer layer, which gradually transformed into vertical oval toward the middle layer and horizontal oval toward the inner layer. Vascular bundles were of type III and IV in the bottom of the culm and type III in the middle to the top of the culm.