37. Himalayacalamus falconeri (Munro) P.C. Keng GRAMINEAE
A clump-forming bamboo that occurs in cool, broad-leaved forests at altitudes of between 2000 and 2550 metres, from Uttarakhand (Kumaon) eastwards through Nepal, Sikkim and Bhutan. Its split stems are used for basket-weaving, and its young shoots are edible. Its specific name commemorates Hugh Falconer, an East India Company surgeon who studied botany at RBGE under Robert Graham and who graduated MD in 1829. While best remembered for his work on fossil mammals, he was an able botanist and was superintendent of the botanic gardens of Saharunpur and later of Calcutta.
Photograph of one of the type specimens of Himalayacalamus falconeri, collected (in flower) by Nathaniel Wallich in Nepal, 1821
Photograph of one of the type specimens of Himalayacalamus falconeri, collected (in flower) by Nathaniel Wallich in Nepal, 1821
