The bamboos are grown mostly in homesteads and unproductive land and are common in the natural forests. It is one of the most important natural forest resources in Asia, Africa, Latin America, and the Pacific. In Asia, Dendrocalamus strictus grows in semi-arid and dry deciduous forests, and as an understorey species in mixed forests.
The bamboos are abundant between the mid-hills and the terai with most of the species being found in the mid-hills. Here these are categorized into two types: bans and nigalo. Bans are big diameter bamboos whereas nigalo are of small diameter.
Dendrocalamus strictus is a medium-sized bamboo with culms of about 8-20 m tall and 2.5-8 cm in diameter. The internodes are 30-45 cm long and thick-walled. Culms are hollow when growing under humid conditions, but nearly solid under dry conditions.
The plant is widely adaptable to temperatures, tolerating occasional frosts with temperatures as low as -5 °C and summer heat as high as 45 °C. It occurs naturally in tracts receiving as low as 750 mm of rainfall a year, but can also tolerate as much as 4,000 mm. Succeeds in full sun and in light shade.
Bamboo genus of Dendrocalamus strictus
