Bamboo Taxonomy

  1. Bamboo
  2. Species / Taxonomy

Scientific classification

  • Kingdom: Plantae
  • Clade: Tracheophytes
  • Clade: Angiosperms
  • Clade: Monocots
  • Clade: Commelinids
  • Order: Poales
  • Family: Poaceae
  • Clade: BOP clade
  • Subfamily: Bambusoideae Luerss

Tribal and Subtribal Classification of the Bamboos
Based on Bamboo Phylogeny Group (BPG, 2012).

1. Tribe Olyreae (Herbaceous Bamboos) - 22 genera and 124 described species

  • Subtribe Buergersiochloinae: Genus: Buergersiochloa (1).
  • Subtribe Parianinae: Genera: Eremitis (3), Pariana (33), Parianella (2).
  • Subtribe Olyrinae: Genera: Agnesia (1), Arberella (7), Cryptochloa (8), Diandrolyra (3), Ekmanochloa (2).
  • Froesiochloa (1), Lithachne (4), Maclurolyra (1), Mniochloa (1), Olyra (24), Parodiolyra (5), Piresia (5),
  • Piresiella (1), Raddia (9), Raddiella (8), Rehia (1), Reitzia (1), and Sucrea (3).

2. Tribe Arundinarieae (Temperate Woody Bamboos) -- 30 genera and 546 described species. Here, based on molecular data based on the chloroplast genome about 85 % of total species belong to two clades which are given below. The previous subtribal classification (Arundinariinae, Shibataeinae, and Thamnocalaminae have been abandoned as failed to form distinct natural groups.

  • Arundinaria clade (VI): Genera: Acidosasa (11), Arundinaria (3 + ca. 6 of uncertain placement) Oligostachyum(15), Pleioblastus(in part)(40), Pseudosasa(19), Sasa (in part) (40) , Sasaella(13), Sasamorpha(5), Semiarundinaria (10) and XPhyllosasa (=Hibanobambusa) (1).
  • Phyllostachys clade (V): Genera: Brachystachyum, Chimonobambusa (37), Phyllostachys(51), Sinobambusa (10), Ampelocalamus(13), Drepanostachyum(10), Fargesia(90), Himalayacalamus(8), Thamnocalamus(3), Yushania(80), Bashania(2), Gelidocalamus(9), Indocalamus(23), Pleioblastus (40), Sarocalamus(3), Chinese Sasa.

3. Tribe Bambuseae (Tropical Woody Bamboos) - 66 genera and 812 described species

Neotropical Woody Bamboos

  • Subtribe Arthrostylidiinae: Genera: Actinocladum (1), Alvimia (3), Arthrostylidium (32), Athroostachys (1), Atractantha (6), Aulonemia (47), Cambajuva (1), Colanthelia (7), Didymogonyx (2), Elytrostachys (2), Filgueirasia (2), Glaziophyton (1), Merostachys (48), Myriocladus (12), and Rhipidocladum (18).
  • Subtribe Chusqueinae: Genera: Chusquea Kunth (172).
  • Subtribe Guaduinae: Genera: Apoclada (1), Eremocaulon (4), Guadua (32), Olmeca (5), Otatea (8).

Paleotropical Woody Bamboos

  • Subtribe Bambusinae : Genera:>Bambusa (100), Bonia (5), Cyrtochloa (5), Dendrocalamus (41), Dinochloa (31), Fimbribambusa (2), Gigantochloa (30), Greslania (4), Holttumochloa (3), Kinabaluchloa (2), Maclurochloa (2), Melocalamus (5), Mullerochloa (1), Neololeba (5), Neomicrocalamus (5), Oreobambos (1), Oxytenanthera (1), Parabambusa (1), Pinga (1), Pseudobambusa (1), Pseudoxytenanthera (12), Soejatmia (1), Sphaerobambos (3), Temochloa (1), Temburongia (1), Thyrsostachys (2), and Vietnamosasa (3).
  • Subtribe Hickeliinae: Genera: Cathariostachys (2), Decaryochloa (1), Hickelia (4), Hitchcockella (1), Nastus (20), Perrierbambus (2), Sirochloa (1), and Valiha (2).
  • Subtribe Melocanninae: Genera: Cephalostachyum (14), Davidsea (1), Melocanna (2), Neohouzeaua (7), Ochlandra (9), Pseudostachyum (1), Schizostachyum (51), Stapletonia (1), and Teinostachyum (2).
  • Subtribe Racemobambosinae: Genera: Racemobambos (17).
Bamboo Phylogeny Group [BPG] (2012). An updated tribal and subtribal classification of the bamboos (Poaceae: Bambusoideae). In: Gielis J, Potters G (eds) Proceedings of the 9th world bamboo congress, Antwerp, Belgium, 10–12 Apr 2012, pp 3–27.