Melocanna
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| Melocanna | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Monocots |
| (unranked): | Commelinids |
| Order: | Poales |
| Family: | Poaceae |
| Subfamily: | Bambusoideae |
| Supertribe: | Bambusodae |
| Tribe: | Bambuseae |
| Subtribe: | Melocanninae |
| Genus: | Melocanna Trin. |
| Species | |
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Melocanna is a genus of tropical clumping bamboo (tribe Bambuseae of the family Poaceae). It comprises 3 species, found in East Asia. The genus is similar to Bambusa. The 48-year cycle of M. baccifera in northeastern India is responsible for the mautam phenomenon of bamboo flowering, followed by a plague of rats and famine.
[edit] Taxonomy
This genus includes Beesha (Kunth). Species that were previously classified within this genus and are now excluded include:
- Melocanna humilis (Roepert ex Trinius), replaced by Bambusa humilis (Reichenbach ex Steudel)
- Melocanna virgata (Munro), replaced by Cephalostachyum virgatum (Munro Kurz)
- Melocanna zollingeri (Steudel) var. longispiculata (Kurz ex Munro), replaced by Schizostachyum blumei (Nees)
