Bamboo species of Trinidad and Tobago?

[linkinchaos]

From Post: Bamboo goat/sheep fence? (http://www.bamboocraft.net/forums/showthread.php?t=1664)

not sure how many types of bamboo there are
i couldnt find any documentation of the islands flora.

[Mark Meckes]

Hi,
From what I can tell from an internet search, there appears to be a considerable amount of bamboo in Trinidad /Tobago.

If you have a camera, (or know someone who has one) and can take pictures of bamboo, you can post them in here and we will try to identify them.
Also at the Gallery Bamboo Flora (http://www.bamboocraft.net/bamboo/index.php), new categories have been added to showcase the bamboo species listed below.

Following are a couple species references ...

EVALUATION OF BAMBOO RESOURCES IN LATIN AMERICA (http://www.inbar.int/publication/txt/INBAR_Working_Paper_No35.htm) by Ximena Londoño

A Summary of the Final Report of Project No. 96-8300-01-4 International Network for Bamboo and Rattan

The Caribbean and West Indies

" The native bamboo species in the Caribbean and West Indies are confined to small-sized bamboos less than 1 cm in diameter. Because of this, they do not have any economic value. However, Asiatic species have entered conspicuously into the local economy on some islands.

At present, the Caribbean and West Indies are known to have 4 genera and 36 species of native woody bamboos, with the richest bamboo diversity being in Cuba.
Like Chile, the Caribbean the West Indies islands also do not have any natural distribution of the genus Guadua.

Bambusa vulgaris is perhaps the most widely cultivated exotic species in the Caribbean region. It is most abundant in the islands of Cuba, Jamaica, Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico, where it has become an important wood source for multiple uses.

The Caribbean not only initiated the industrialization of bamboo in the region, with a small mill located near St. Augustine in Trinidad, but also initiated the introduction and cultivation of exotic and useful bamboos from the Old World.

The Tropical Agriculture Research Station (http://www.ars.usda.gov/Main/site_main.htm?modecode=66-35-00-00) (TARS) in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico, began the introduction and cultivation of bamboo at the time of its foundation in 1901, and continues to the present day (Edelman et al. 1985). The 1930s and 1940s were perhaps the most active period at TARS with respect to the development of bamboo. During this time, bamboo species from the collection were widely distributed in Puerto Rico and other parts of the Caribbean as well as in several countries of Latin America.

The species Guadua angustifolia has been introduced to several Caribbean islands. Besides Puerto Rico, it is cultivated also in the Botanical Garden of Cienfuegos, Cuba, and it is probable that the species has been introduced to the Dominic Republic and Jamaica.

The native woody bamboo species of the Caribbean and West Indies are:

Arthrostylidium angustifolium Nash

A. banaoense Catasus Guerra

A. cubense Ruprecht

A. distichum Pilger

A. ekmanii Hitchcock

A. excelsum Grisebach

A. farctum (Aublet) Soderstrom & Lourteig

A. fimbriatum Grisebach

A. haitiense (Pilger) Hitchcock & Chase

A. multispicatum Pilger

A. obtusatum Pilger

A. pinicolium Catasus Guerra

A. reflexum Hitchcock & E. Ekman

A. sarmentosum Pilger

A. urbanii Pilger

A. venezuelae (Steudel) McClure

Chusquea abietifolia Grisebach

Neurolepis virgata (Grisebach) Pilger - Trinidad

Rhipidocladum prestoei (Munro) McClure - Trinidad

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Quote from above ...
The native bamboo species in the Caribbean and West Indies are confined to small-sized bamboos less than 1 cm in diameter. Because of this, they do not have any economic value.

Q. Are any of the native bamboos used in the local arts and crafts, construction or for livestock browse?

-------------------------

Extract from article about sporadic flowering of Bambusa vulgaris in Tobago ...

Bamboo flowers - Tobago wonder (http://www.wow.net/ttfnc/livworld/Papers/bambflwr/bambflwr.html) By Dan Jaggernath
(The Trinidad and Tobago Field Naturalists' Club) - Originally published in the Tobago News, December 14, 2001

" ... After many cautious steps, up a stony crystal clear river, the "amazing phenomenon' of the "flowering bamboo" unfolded itself in all its glory. .... It is an uncommon sight, and some of the older folks say, the "flowering bamboo" occurs every thirty (30) years. An old hunter said. the "first and last' time he saw bamboo flowers was around 1971, "but did not take it on seriously " He indicated there were other 'bamboo patches' about 30 years old, but only a separate bamboo patch" bore flowers, and began drying up and falling apart.

The flowering bamboo in Goldsborough Tobago is "Bambusa Vulgaris".

Some other varieties are Bambusa Multiplex, Arthrostylydium, Bambusa guadua, Varigeated bamboo. ... "

(Spelling correction ... Arthrostylidium spp, Guadua spp (angustifolia?) )

[linkinchaos]

thanks alot mark
which one of these bamboo
are best for outdoor structures

[Mark Meckes]

Hi, here's a few notes ...

Guadua species, (IF this bamboo is growing there) are considered excellent bamboos for building and construction.
See Guadua angustifolia (http://www.bamboocraft.net/bamboo/showgallery.php?cat=507) photos at Gallery Bamboo Flora

However each bamboo has it's own special merits based on specific needs, and choice of material is often determined by a combination of factors.

Regarding native species of Trinidad and Tobago ...
From article about...
Potential distribution of woody bamboos in Africa and America (http://www.inbar.int/publication/txt/INBAR_Working_Paper_No43.htm)
- Working Paper #43 by Inbar/Unep/WCMC -2002

This article states more specifically that Trinidad and Tobago have 7 native species of bamboo, according to their collected data, but the article only lists species by name for the generalized into the 'Central American' region.

Other possible resources for information:

National Herbarium of Trinidad and Tobago (http://www2.carib-link.net/~rfbarnes/herb.htm)

Friends of Botanic Gardens of Trinidad and Tobago (http://www2.trinidad.net:80/fobgtt/)

Regarding introduced species ...
Often times, promising bamboo species that were introduced many years ago never or minimally got distributed or are only growing in botanical collections and obscure locations.

The Royal Botanic Gardens, Port of Spain has 2 bamboo species in their List of trees growing at the garden (http://www2.trinidad.net:80/fobgtt/treelist.htm):
- Bambusa spinosa ??
- Bambusa vulgaris
They have question marks (??) next to their Bambusa spinosa listing.

Note there is a species called Bambusa sinospinosa - Chinese Thorny Bamboo.
- A bamboo which can grow up to 70' / 21.3 M tall, and 5" / 12.7cm diameter.
According to literature, it is " a thorny bamboo, with rather small leaves, interlaced with thorny branches that can form an impenetrable hedge.

Bambusa vulgaris may be the most commonly available larger diameter bamboo, as it was a species grown extensively in the past for banana props and paper pulp manufacture etc.

... From the book The Bamboos - by F.A.McClure - printed 1966 ...
" ... According to the records of C.T.B Exard, the general Manager, in February 1946, of the now defunct Trinidad Paper and Pulp Co. Ltd ...
Well-established plants of Bambusa vulgaris produced, at Saint Augustine, Trinidad, over 4 tons of pure dry cellulose pulp per acre per year on a 3 year cutting cycle.
Indications are that this could have been substantially increased by the use of a longer cutting cycle. ..."
-------------------

Bambusa vulgaris is used for arts, craft and construction purposes, though extra precautions must be employed to render it resistant to Powder Post Beetle.

~ Mark

[martinduplantier]

hi,
do you think vulgaris needs more care to be used as construction material than gaudua?
People in Chiapas were not that cautious with insects, saying that it was not a serious problem in the mountain region.
I visited the Jalapa Ecology Institute (Mexico) and an engineer confirmed that vulgaris could be used for construction. Of course, poles should then be designed with several canes to obtain the same resistance as guadua (see Simon Velez, Colombian architect).

Thank you,
Martin

[Mark Meckes]

Hi Martin,
Bambusa vulgaris is a sturdy bamboo and with it's abundance in tropical regions throughout the world, it has been put to many uses successfully.
It would be unfair to sum up this plants pros and cons from a single observation in McClures book.
It should be noted that no bamboo is impervious to bugs, not even Guadua, and this could also be said about any home built out of wood.
There are many factors involved, especially in building long-lasting structures, to ensure that the material components outlast their desired life expectancy.
From species harvesting and processing, to design elements and construction techniques, each part plays a role.
On the bug side of the equation, this is much we have yet to learn ...
It's distribution, local prevalence, life cycle, preferred habitats and dislikes etc.

Hopefully as we learn more about this issue we can provide a clearer answer to your question.

Cheers,
~ Mark