Illustrations of bamboos in China , livre ebook

Illustrations of
Bamboos in China
Editor-in-Chief JIANG ZehuiThe characteristics of bamboo’s flowering structures, culm sheaths, culms and leaves
are important for the classification and identification of bamboo species. This book
abounds with high-definition, informative photos, accurately demonstrating the
taxonomical characteristics of bamboo’s organs, particularly those of culm sheaths.
Photos are supplemented with descriptions and a dozen hand-drawn, colored diagrams,
rendering the book academically, artistically and practically valuable.
This book is intended for bamboo taxonomists, enthusiasts, university faculty members
and students alike. pour la page 1 de couverture
www .edpsciences.org pour la page 4 de couverture
pour le dosILLUSTRATIONS OF
BAMBOOS IN CHINA
Editor-in-Chief JIANG Zehui
pour la page 1 de couverture
www .edpsciences.org pour la page 4 de couverture
pour le dosEditorial Board
Editor-in-Chief
JIANG Zehui
Associate Editors
FEI Benhua, LU Wenming
Board Members
JIANG Zehui, FEI Benhua, LU Wenming, YUE Xianghua,
TIAN Genlin, WANG Hankun, WU Junqi, JIN Wei,
WANG Jian, LI Xiaohua, SUN Wen, WANG Renfei
This book was originally published in Chinese by Science Press, © Science Press, 2020.
Printed in France
EDP Sciences – ISBN(print): 978-2-7598-2738-1 – ISBN(ebook): 978-2-7598-2739-8
All rights relative to translation, adaptation and reproduction by any means whatsoever are reserved, worldwide. In accordance with the terms
of paragraphs 2 and 3 of Article 41 of the French Act dated March 11, 1957, “copies or reproductions reserved strictly for private use and not
intended for collective use” and, on the other hand, analyses and short quotations for example or illustrative purposes, are allowed. Otherwise,
“any representation or reproduction – whether in full or in part – without the consent of the author or of his successors or assigns, is unlawful”
(Article 40, paragraph 1). Any representation or reproduction, by any means whatsoever, will therefore be deemed an infringement of copyright
punishable under Articles 425 and following of the French Penal Code.
The printed edition is not for sale in Chinese mainland. Customers in Chinese mainland please order the print book from Science Press. ISBN of
the China edition: Science Press ISBN: 978-7-03-065234-8
© Science Press, EDP Sciences, 2022Note on the English edition of Illustrations of Bamboos in China
As the first intergovernmental, international organization headquartered in China, the International Bamboo
and Rattan Organization (INBAR) has established itself as a leading platform for South-South cooperation
on bamboo and rattan resources. Since it was founded in 1997, INBAR has been actively promoting the
conservation of bamboo and rattan resources and the sustainable development of bamboo and rattan industries
worldwide, in close collaboration with the Chinese government.
China is famed as the “kingdom of bamboos”, ranking at the top in the world in terms of bamboo variety, area
and stock volume. In this country, the use of bamboo enjoys a long history, laying the foundation for today’s
highly-developed bamboo industries, and the Chinese people attach a cultural significance to the plant of
bamboo, which could all be a source of inspiration for INBAR’s other member states.
In 2020, led by Prof. JIANG Zehui, Co-Chair of INBAR Board of Trustees and Director General of the International
Centre for Bamboo and Rattan (ICBR), ICBR’s research team on bamboo germplasm resources produced the
Chinese edition of Illustrations of Bamboos in China. The book offers taxonomical knowledge and high-definition
images of common bamboo species in China and some introduced species and showcases their characters for
classification and identification purposes. The book’s accurate, precise and detailed descriptions, plentiful
photographs and hand-drawn, coloured diagrams make it academically, artistically and practically valuable.
To serve the purpose of science popularization and present to the world China’s abundant bamboo resources,
INBAR is now partnering with ICBR in the publication of the English edition of Illustrations of Bamboos in
China and hopes that it could be a useful reference for bamboo taxonomists and bamboo enthusiasts across
the world.
International Bamboo and Rattan Organization (INBAR)
International Centre for Bamboo and Rattan (ICBR)Author’s preface
Author’s preface
“Of all the plants, there is a group of them called bamboos.
They are as fast-growing as grass and as tenacious as trees.”
An excerpt from On Painting Bamboos by DAI Kaizhi of the Jin Dynasty
Of all the plants, there is a group of them called bamboos. They are endowed with the strength of trees and
the ductility of grass.
Bamboos belong in the subfamily Bambusoideae of the family Poaceae. They mostly grow in tropical and
subtropical zones, particularly in regions where monsoons are very prominent. However, some of the species
can be found in temperate and cold zones and high-altitude areas on mountains. Geographically, Asia,
Central America and South America enjoy the widest variety of bamboo resources, followed by Africa. In
comparison, North America and Oceania have very limited bamboo resources and, in Europe, there exist only
some cultivated bamboos and no such plants in the wild.
As the environment deteriorates around the globe, there is an urgent need to collect, preserve and identify
bamboos. Thus, it is fortunate that people have gradually come to realize the remarkable role bamboos play
in adjusting to environmental changes and conserving biodiversity.
As a national non-profit research institution whose establishment was jointly approved by China’s State
Commission Office of Public Sectors Reform, Ministry of Science and Technology and Ministry of Finance,
ICBR has been committed to the collection and preservation of bamboo germplasm resources, the innovative
utilization of bamboos and the training of professionals in this field. So far, ICBR has established a germplasm
bank for subtropical bamboos in Taiping of Anhui Province, one for tropical bamboos in Sanya of Hainan
Province, and another in Qingdao of Shandong Province for temperate bamboos.
As work was carried out on the germplasm resources of bamboos, ICBR accumulated a large amount of
information on the taxonomical characters of bamboos. After surveying the existing publications on flora,
including the illustrated books on flora, we felt the need to produce an illustrated book on bamboos, featuring
high-definition photos, to better demonstrate their taxonomical characters.
This book is a summary of the work ICBR has conducted, since its founding, on the conservation of bamboo
germplasm resources and a report presented to fellow scientists and researchers working in this field. It
was composed in remembrance of Prof. PENG Zhenhua, who made tremendous efforts on the conservation
of bamboo germplasm resources, and intended as a source of inspiration and encouragement for the young
generation of scientists who are now following his steps.
We dedicate this book in homage to nature, to generations of bamboo scientists, and to people who love
bamboos!
VIIPreface
Preface
Forest resources form the basis of ecosystems and serve as a source of wealth. Forests provide ecosystem
services, benefit the society and offer a variety of goods, playing an essential and prominent role in ecological
conservation efforts and the initiative to build a beautiful China.
Bamboo forests constitute an important part of forest resources, being a quality type of forests offering
ecological, economic and social benefits. As revealed by China’s 9th National Survey of Forest Resources, there
2 2are 6,411,600 hm of bamboos in China, with Moso bamboos accounting for 4,677,800 hm and the other
2species taking up the rest 1,733,800 hm .
Found widely across the world, bamboos grow mostly in tropical and subtropical zones, with only part of the
species in temperate regions. Over 500 species spanning 39 genera of bamboo can be found growing in China,
with most along and to the south of the Yangtze River and a few growing further north to areas around the
Qinling Mountains or along the Han River or the Yellow River.
Driven by the ambition to fully understand bamboos growing in China, generations of scientists working
in bamboo taxonomy have made persistent efforts. Publications on this subject began with Flora of China:
Vol. 9(1), which was followed by more recent books including Flora of China (in English), Bamboo Species
in China, Ornamental Bamboos in China, and The Genus Phyllostachys in China. All these are the fruits of the
massive work carried out by plant taxonomists and numerous people working in this field, who have jointly
made a significant contribution to bamboo taxonomy in China.
Previous publications on bamboos mostly combined extensive descriptions with only supplementary figures.
It would be difficult for readers to visualize the verbal descriptions to form a good understanding of the plant
they were trying to learn about, particularly for those who lacked knowledge of taxonomy or had little contact
with bamboos.
During the preliminary preparations for this book, efforts were made to collect high-definition images of
the bamboo species to be included, making sure that their original colours and local details were accurately
reflected. The figures used in this book put an emphasis on the taxonomic characters in bamboo shoots while
also covering the morphological characters of culms, leaves and inflorescences.
Descriptions in the Flora of China: Vol. 9(1) formed the basis of the text of this book, which was supplemented
by recent studies on bamboo made by other researchers.
Your comments and suggestions are most welcome to make up for any omissions or shortcomings this book
may have due to the limitations of its editors.
IXTable of contents
Table of cont