A Review on Bamboo Resource in the African Region: A Call for Special Focus and Action

Abstract

The African region has untapped bamboo resource potential with immense socioeconomic, cultural, and ecological significances. Despite the long history of bamboo in the region, its contribution is at the infant stage. Therefore, the present study aimed at reviewing the existing literature supported by research experience on bamboo resource in the region. The review process mainly focused on four main specific objectives. These include (1) review extensively African countries that owned the resource and identify the species in each country, (2) identify and document species, generic, and taxonomic tribes of each bamboo species, (3) assess and report bamboo area coverage from available nations, and (4) highlight the existing experiences of special opportunities, challenges, and successful achievements on bamboo resource in representative African countries. The review process found out that a total of 4.56 million ha total bamboo area and 115 bamboo species are reported from 48 African countries. Hence, the African region shares 12.3% of the global bamboo resource and contributed 7.3% of the total bamboo species. Of this, 89.6% of the region is endowed with indigenous bamboo species. Among indigenous species, O. abyssinica is the most widely distributed in 38 African countries. Madagascar ranked first with 37 indigenous species, while Ethiopia led by 25 introduced bamboo species. Nowadays, Ethiopia has 1.44 million ha total indigenous bamboo area coverage, which accounted for 31.6% of the African region and 3.89% of the world total. Therefore, more detail and comprehensive research on species taxonomy, resource base inventory, silvicultural applications, and socioeconomic study is recommended.

Full text

Review Article
A Review on Bamboo Resource in the African Region: A Call for
Special Focus and Action
Tinsae Bahru
1
and Yulong Ding
2
1
Central Ethiopia Environment and Forest Research Center (CEE-FRC), P.O. Box 33042, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
2
Bamboo Research Institute, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China
Correspondence should be addressed to Tinsae Bahru; batinsae@gmail.com
Received 3 September 2020; Revised 16 February 2021; Accepted 25 February 2021; Published 8 March 2021
Academic Editor: Ahmad A. Omar
Copyright ©2021 Tinsae Bahru and Yulong Ding. is is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons
Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is
properly cited.
e African region has untapped bamboo resource potential with immense socioeconomic, cultural, and ecological significances.
Despite the long history of bamboo in the region, its contribution is at the infant stage. erefore, the present study aimed at
reviewing the existing literature supported by research experience on bamboo resource in the region. e review process mainly
focused on four main specific objectives. ese include (1) review extensively African countries that owned the resource and
identify the species in each country, (2) identify and document species, generic, and taxonomic tribes of each bamboo species, (3)
assess and report bamboo area coverage from available nations, and (4) highlight the existing experiences of special opportunities,
challenges, and successful achievements on bamboo resource in representative African countries. e review process found out
that a total of 4.56 million ha total bamboo area and 115 bamboo species are reported from 48 African countries. Hence, the
African region shares 12.3% of the global bamboo resource and contributed 7.3% of the total bamboo species. Of this, 89.6% of the
region is endowed with indigenous bamboo species. Among indigenous species, O. abyssinica is the most widely distributed in 38
African countries. Madagascar ranked first with 37 indigenous species, while Ethiopia led by 25 introduced bamboo species.
Nowadays, Ethiopia has 1.44 million ha total indigenous bamboo area coverage, which accounted for 31.6% of the African region
and 3.89% of the world total. erefore, more detail and comprehensive research on species taxonomy, resource base inventory,
silvicultural applications, and socioeconomic study is recommended.
1. Global Bamboo Resource Overview
Bamboo belongs to the subfamily Bambusoideae and family
Gramineae or Poaceae [1–3]. Various sources speculated the
origin of bamboo in the evolutionary line of plant kingdom.
However, Clark estimated that bamboo origin was traced
back probably some 30–40 million years ago [4]. It is one of
the most important forest resources with immense socio-
economic, cultural, and ecological significances since an-
cient times. For instance, indigenous bamboo resource in
Ethiopia has been used for different traditional uses in-
cluding house construction, fencing, production of handi-
crafts and other household utensils, animal feed, edible
shoots for human consumption, and many other uses. In the
human history, bamboo cultivation and utilization in
ancient China traced back to about 6000 years [5]. As early as
3000 years before, edible bamboo shoot has been used as a
popular and delicious dish in China [6]. Nowadays, there are
1575 bamboo species [1] belonging to about 90 genera across
the world [4, 7]. e bamboo resource further covers a total
area of about 37 million ha worldwide or around 1% of the
global forest resource [7]. Its annual production also
accounted for more than 20 million tons [8] and contributed
$60 billion to the global economy [9]. In relation to this,
bamboo resource is widely distributed around the world in
diverse climatic and ecological settings. Its range covers from
tropics, subtropics, and temperate to frigid zones [4, 10–12]
approximately in 50°N–47°S [4]. e altitudinal ranges also
vary from the sea level up to a higher elevation, i.e., 4500 m
above the sea level [1].
Hindawi
International Journal of Forestry Research
Volume 2021, Article ID 8835673, 23 pages
https://doi.org/10.1155/2021/8835673

As a whole, the global distribution of bamboo resource
can be classified into four major geographic regions [10–12]
(Figure 1). ese major bamboo regions comprise the Asia-
Pacific region with more than 900 species [10, 11], American
region with over 500 species [4], and the African region with
43 species [13–15]. e African region comprises the
mainland Africa and the associated islands surrounding the
continent including Comoros, Madagascar, Mauritius,
R´
eunion, São Tom´
e and Pr´
ıncipe, and Seychelles. ese
regions are specifically located at 51°N–42°S [12], 40°N–47°S
[10–12], and 16°N–22°S [10, 11, 16] in their respective orders.
By contrast, European, North American, and Australian
regions are emerged due to the introduction of many
bamboo species from Asia, Africa, and South America
mostly for gardening, ornamentals, and other uses [10–12].
In this insight, approximately 80% of the bamboo re-
source is found in the Asia-Pacific region [10, 11]. Of this,
more than 59% of the Asia-Pacific region [3, 10, 11] and
33.9% of the world bamboo species are found in China [1, 3].
Currently, 534 bamboo species that belong to 34 genera are
found in China [3] with the total area coverage of 7 mil-
lion ha [11, 16]. In contrast, the African region has very little
bamboo resource in terms of species diversity and area
coverage almost entirely limited to tropical zones [4]. It
comprises 7% of the world bamboo resource with total area
coverage of over 2.8 million ha within six nations [7].
erefore, it needs urgent call for special focus and action for
the sustainable development and promotion of bamboo
resource in the African region. is comprises (1) review
extensively African countries that owned the resource and
identify the species in each country by their scientific names,
(2) identify and document bamboo species including their
description and generic and taxonomic tribes of each
bamboo species, (3) assess and report bamboo area coverage
from African nations that have available information, and
(4) highlight special opportunities, challenges, and suc-
cessful achievements on bamboo resource in representative
African countries.
2. Materials and Methods
A comprehensive and detail literature review was carried
out from 108 published and accessed bibliographical
sources. ese included 54 scientific journals, 15 books, 19
official documents from various nations and/or organiza-
tions and working studies, 11 workshop proceedings,
manuals, and newspapers, 4 online accessed resources, and
5 academic theses. e review process encompassed both
African countries and islands surrounding the mainland
Africa. Consequently, the total area covered wider and
diverse geographical locations and settings, altitudinal
ranges, climatic conditions, and socioeconomic and cul-
tural diversities and lifestyles. At the same time, the per-
ception, experience, and knowledge of local people and
nations focus towards bamboo resource are considerably
varied. With this in mind, available data in each country
were reviewed in detail, bamboo species were identified,
and a species list was documented. ereafter, the scientific
names and their synonymous if any were listed down and
particular references are cited. After that, the generic names
are identified and grouped under taxonomic tribes fol-
lowing different references. In the same way, regarding to
the total bamboo area coverage in the region, data from
available countries were extensively reviewed, and then, the
countries list, bamboo area, and bamboo area to forest area
coverage as well as percentage share are presented. e
existing practical experiences on widely distributed,
commonly used, and potentially high species are selected as
representative species and extensively reviewed. Last,
special opportunities, major challenges, and successful
achievements are assessed from typical countries so as to
strengthen the resource development and promotion in the
region.
3. Origin and Distribution of Bamboo
Resource in the African Region
Our extensive literature review showed that a total of 115
bamboo species are widely distributed among 48 countries
in the African region (Table 1). is accounted for 7.3% of
the global bamboo species and covered 82.8% of the Af-
rican region. is covered vast areas which extend from
western coast at Senegal to the eastern part at Mauritius,
while it stretched from Morocco in the north to South
Africa in the southern part. Out of the indigenous bamboo
species, Oxytenanthera abyssinica is widely distributed
among 38 countries, while Olyra latifolia is found within 30
countries. ese are followed by Oldeania alpina and
Oreobambos buchwaldii, which are further recorded among
13 and 10 African countries, respectively. In the same way,
5 countries have Guaduella oblonga, while Bambusa vul-
garis, Guaduella densiflora, and Hickelia africana are
recorded among the 3 African countries, each. Regarding to
introduced bamboo species, Bambusa vulgaris is widely
distributed among 20 African countries, followed by
Dendrocalamus giganteus within 10 countries. Also,
D. asper and D. strictus are equally found in 6 countries,
each (Table 1).
In relation to bamboo genera, the genus Bambusa
contained 25 bamboo species, which accounted for 21.7% of
the total recorded species in the region (Table 2). is is
followed by the genus Nastus and Dendrocalamus with 12
and 11 bamboo species, respectively. Similarly, 6 bamboo
species are classified under the genus Guaduella, whereas 5
species are recorded under the genus Yushania. e genera
Cephalostachyum and Hickelia followed with 4 species, each.
In the same way, a total of 35 bamboo genera are
recorded in the African region, which are classified under
five taxonomic tribes (Table 3). Of these, the tribe Bam-
buseae comprised a total of 19 (54.3%) bamboo genera,
followed by Arundinarieae with 11 taxonomic genera. On
the other hand, three tribes, namely, Guaduelleae, Olyreae,
and Puelieae, contained one bamboo genera, each. In
contrast, there is no concrete information available to group
the remaining two bamboo genera to a given tribe and hence
requires a further taxonomic study. In line with this, tribe
Bambuseae is distributed among the 45 African nations and
Olyreae is distributed among 30 nations (Table 3).
2International Journal of Forestry Research

Furthermore, comprehensive literature review con-
firmed that the distribution of bamboo resource in the
African region can be classified broadly into two parts. ese
are the mainland Africa and the associated six islands
surrounding the continent (Comoros, Madagascar, Maur-
itius, R´
eunion, São Tom´
e and Pr´
ıncipe, and Seychelles). e
review process reported that mainland Africa has 83 bamboo
species belonging to 30 genera (Table 4). Out of these species,
20 bamboo species are indigenous (native) to the region. e
remaining 63 species are mainly introduced (exotic) from
other regions (Asia-Pacific, America, or Africa itself). On the
other hand, the six islands comprise 50 species. Among
these, 40 bamboo species are indigenous, while 10 of them
are introduced from elsewhere. erefore, majority of the
bamboo species (72.2%) are introduced to the mainland
Africa at various times. By contrast, more diverse indigenous
bamboo species (34.8%) are found within the six associated
islands. is clearly shows that the mainland Africa has less
rich and diverse indigenous compared to introduced
bamboo species.
In the same way, a total of up to 45 bamboo species are
reported from each country (Table 5). In terms of species
origin, bamboo species are classified as indigenous to Africa
or introduced from elsewhere. Among these, 22 countries
have only indigenous (native) bamboo species, 5 countries
have only introduced (exotic) species, while 21 countries
owned both species. is reflects that 89.6% of the region is
endowed with indigenous bamboo species. From indigenous
species, Madagascar ranked first with a total of 37 bamboo
species (refer Table 1), followed by Cameroon with 10
species (Table 1). is clearly shows that the species diversity
and distribution at Madagascar is much richer than the
mainland Africa [4, 12]. Ghana and Tanzania also comprise
8 and 6 species, respectively (Table 1). On the other hand,
Ethiopia ranked first with a total of 25 introduced bamboo
species, followed by Togo with 20 species. Ghana and Kenya
each contains with a total of 16 introduced species, whereas
Nigeria and Sudan follow with 12 and 10 bamboo species,
respectively.
4. Status and Potential of Bamboo Resource in
the African Region
e status and potential of bamboo resource in the African
region is reviewed from different sources. According to the
reports, the data are only available from 12 African coun-
tries. In this insight, 12.3% of the global bamboo resource is
contributed by the African region. is indicated that
bamboo development in the region is slightly improved as
compared to 7% of total bamboo resource reported by FAO
[7]. Ethiopia shares 31.55% of the total bamboo resource in
the African region, followed by Senegal (14.49%) and Ghana
(8.77%) (Table 6). Similarly, the bamboo to forest area
coverage accounted for 11.51%, 7.99%, and 4.28% in their
respective orders. However, the figure reported from Nigeria
(34.88%) is an overestimated data and hence not yet verified
[7]. By contrast, available data from Cameroon [23] and
Zimbabwe (FAO (2001) cited in FAO [7] are also incomplete
and do not represent the entire countries’ resource. But, the
intention to include these data is to show the resource
potential and thereby to give more focus to the region. In the
same way, the bamboo resource reported from other
countries in the region (Tables 1 and 2) is not well known
and estimated. erefore, we concluded that due attention
should be given to the status and potential of bamboo re-
source in the African region.
5. Overview on Indigenous Bamboo
Species in Ethiopia
Out of the total recorded indigenous bamboo species in the
African region (60 species), two indigenous bamboo species
(O. abyssinica and O. alpina) are widely distributed and
commonly used in the region, and their origin also traced
Figure 1: Global bamboo resource distribution among the four major geographic regions (source: [12]).
International Journal of Forestry Research 3

Table 1: Origin and distribution of bamboo resource in the African region.
No. List of countries Origin and distribution of bamboo resource in the African region Reference
Indigenous (native) species Introduced (exotic) species
1 Algeria Pseudosasa japonica INBAR [17]
2 Angola
Guaduella densiflora, Guaduella
dichroa, Olyra latifolia, Oreobambos
buchwaldii, and Oxytenanthera
abyssinica.
Ohrnberger [1], Bystriakova
et al. [18], INBAR [17], Clayton
et al. [19]
3 Benin O. latifolia and O. abyssinica. Bambusa vulgaris, Dendrocalamus
asper, and D. giganteus.
Ohrnberger [1], Bystriakova
et al. [18], zhou [16], Inada and
Hall [20], INBAR [17], Clayton
et al. [19]
4 Burkina Faso O. latifolia and O. abyssinica. B. vulgaris Inada and Hall [20], INBAR
[17], Clayton et al. [19]
5 Burundi Oldeania alpina, O. latifolia,
O. buchwaldii, and O. abyssinica.
Phillips [2], Bystriakova et al.
[18], Inada and Hall [20],
INBAR [17], Clayton et al. [19]
6 Cameroon
G. densiflora, Guaduella humilis,
Guaduella macrostachys, Guaduella
marantifolia, Guaduella oblonga,
O. alpina,O. latifolia, O. buchwaldii,
O. abyssinica, and Puelia atractocarpa.
B. vulgaris (B. vulgaris var. vittata
(yellow variety)), Ochlandra
travancorica, and Phyllostachys aurea.
Phillips [2], Grimshaw [21],
Ohrnberger [1], Bystriakova
et al. [18], INBAR [22], Ingram
et al. [23], INBAR [17], Clayton
et al. [19]
7Central African
Republic O. latifolia and O. abyssinica.
Ohrnberger [1], Bystriakova
et al. [18], INBAR [17], Clayton
et al. [19]
8 Chad O. abyssinica KFRI [24], INBAR [17],
Clayton et al. [19]
9 Comoros O. latifolia and Sirochloa parvifolia. Ohrnberger [1], INBAR [17]
10 Cote d’Ivoire G. oblonga, O. latifolia, and
O. abyssinica. B. vulgaris
Ohrnberger [1], Bystriakova
et al. [18], INBAR [17], Clayton
et al. [19]
11
Democratic
Republic of
Congo
O. alpina, O. latifolia, O. buchwaldii,
and O. abyssinica. B. vulgaris and D. asper.
Phillips [2], Ohrnberger [1],
Bystriakova et al. [18], Inada
and Hall [20], INBAR [17],
Clayton et al. [19]
12 Egypt B. multiplex (B. nana) and B. vulgaris. Moustafa et al. [25]
13 Equatorial
Guinea O. latifolia and O. abyssinica. INBAR [17]
14 Eritrea O. abyssinica
Phillips [2], Ohrnberger [1],
Bystriakova et al. [18], Clayton
et al. [19]
15 Ethiopia Gigantochloa felix, O. alpina,
O. latifolia, and O. abyssinica.
B. balcooa, B. bambos, B. emeiensis,
B. multiplex, B. multiplex
՝Albovariegata,՛B. oldhamii,
B. pachinensis, B. tulda, B. vulgaris
(B. vulgaris var. green (green variety),
B. vulgaris var. striata, and B. vulgaris
var. vittata), D. asper, D. barbatus,
D. brandisii, D. giganteus, D. hamiltonii,
D. latiflorus, D. membranaceus,
D. peculiaris, Gigantochloa apus,
Gigantochloa atter, Gigantochloa
sumatra, Guadua amplexifolia, Guadua
angustifolia, Phyllostachys edulis,
Schizostachyum jaculans, and
yrsostachys siamensis.
Phillips [2], Embaye [14],
Ohrnberger [1], Embaye [13],
Fu et al. [11], Jiang and Liu [12],
Chen et al. [10], Huojin [15],
INBAR [17], Clayton et al. [19]
16 Gabon G. densiflora, G. marantifolia, and
G. oblonga. Ohrnberger [1]
17 Gambia O. latifolia and O. abyssinica
Ohrnberger [1], Bystriakova
et al. [18], INBAR [17], Clayton
et al. [19]
4International Journal of Forestry Research

Table 1: Continued.
No. List of countries Origin and distribution of bamboo resource in the African region Reference
Indigenous (native) species Introduced (exotic) species
18 Ghana
B. bambos, B. multiplex,
B. pervariabilis, B. vulgaris (B. vulgaris
var. green and B. vulgaris var. vittata),
D. strictus, G. macrostachys, O. latifolia,
and O. abyssinica.
B. burmanica, B. heterostachya,
B. oldhamii, B. textilis, B. ventricosa,
D. asper, D. barbatus, D. brandisii,
D. giganteus,D. latiflorus,
D. membranaceus, Gigantochloa
albociliata, G. angustifolia, Guadua
chacoensis, P. edulis, and T. siamensis.
Ohrnberger [1], Bystriakova
et al. [18], Inada and Hall [20],
Appiah-Kubi et al. [26], INBAR
[27], Clayton et al. [19]
19 Guinea G. oblonga, O. latifolia, and
O. abyssinica. B. vulgaris
Ohrnberger [1], Bystriakova
et al. [18], INBAR [17], Clayton
et al. [19]
20 Guinea-Bissau O. latifolia, and O. abyssinica
21 Kenya Hickelia africana, O. alpina, O. latifolia,
O. buchwaldii, and Pseudosasa amabilis
B. bambos,B. lako,B. nutans,B. tulda,
B. vulgaris (B. vulgaris var. vittata),
D. asper,D. brandisii,D. giganteus,
D. hamiltonii,D. membranaceus,
D. strictus,O. abyssinica, P. edulis,
P. nigra var. henonis,Schizostachyum
pergracile,Shibataea kumasaca, and
T. siamensis.
Kigomo and Kamiri [28],
Grimshaw [21], zhou [16], Fu
et al. [11], Jiang and Liu [12],
Kigomo [29], Inada and Hall
[20], KFRI [24], Chen et al. [10],
INBAR [17], Clayton et al. [19]
22 Lesotho O. abyssinica, Bergbambos tessellata,
and amnocalamus sp.
Ohrnberger [1], Bystriakova
et al. [18], INBAR [17]
23 Liberia G. oblonga, O. latifolia, and
O. abyssinica.
Ohrnberger [1], Inada and Hall
[20], INBAR [17]
24 Libya B. vulgaris
25 Madagascar
Cathariostachys capitata,
Cathariostachys madagascariensis,
Cephalostachyum chapelieri,
Cephalostachyum perrieri,
Cephalostachyum sp., Cephalostachyum
viguieri, Decaryochloa diadelpha,
Hickelia alaotrensis, Hickelia
madagascariensis, Hickelia perrieri,
Hitchcockella baronii, Nastus
ambrensis, N. aristatus, N. decaryanus,
N. elongatus, N. emirnensis,
N. humbertianus, N. lokohoensis,
N. madagascariensis,
N. manongarivensis, N. perrieri,
N. tsaratananensis, Ochlandra capitata,
O. latifolia, Perrierbambus
madagascariensis, Perrierbambus
tsarasaotrensis, Schizostachyum
perrieri, Sirochloa parvifolia
(Schizostachyum bosseri),
amnocalamus ibityensis,
amnocalamus sp., Yushania
humbertii, Y. madagascariensis,
Y. perrieri, Yushania sp., Valiha diffusa,
V. perrieri , and Valiha sp.
B. multiplex,B. spinosa, B. vulgaris
(B. madagascariensis, B. vulgaris var.
green, and B. vulgaris var. vittata),
D. asper,D. giganteus,D. strictus,
Gigantochloa aff. pseudoarundinacea,
and P. aurea.
Ohrnberger [1], Bystriakova
et al. [18], Inada and Hall [20],
King et al. [30], INBAR [17],
Clayton et al. [19]
26 Malawi O. alpina, O. latifolia, O. buchwaldii,
and O. abyssinica.
Phillips [2], Grimshaw [21],
Ohrnberger [1], Bystriakova
et al. [18], Sosola-Banda and
Johnsen [31]
27 Mali O. abyssinica Inada and Hall [20], INBAR
[17]
28 Mauritius Probably B. tessellata B. multiplex and D. giganteus. Ohrnberger [1], INBAR [17]
29 Morocco P. japonica INBAR [17]
International Journal of Forestry Research 5

Table 1: Continued.
No. List of countries Origin and distribution of bamboo resource in the African region Reference
Indigenous (native) species Introduced (exotic) species
30 Mozambique O. latifolia, O. buchwaldii, and
O. abyssinica.
B. bambos, B. vulgaris (B. striata),
D. hamiltonii, and D. strictus.
Ohrnberger [1], Bystriakova
et al. [18], INBAR [17], Clayton
et al. [19]
31 Niger O. abyssinica INBAR [17]
32 Nigeria G. densiflora, G. humilis, O. latifolia,
and O. abyssinica.
B. vulgaris, Brachystachyum stellatus,
Dayeteng spp., D. giganteus, D. sinicus,
Fargesia robusta, Gelidocalamus
stellatus, Nuomizhu xiaoyeteng, P. edulis
(P. heterocycla var. pubescens),
Pleioblastus fortunei, Shibataea
chinensis, and Y. baishazuensis.
Ohrnberger [1], Bystriakova
et al. [18], INBAR [17], Clayton
et al. [19]
33 Republic of
Congo
G. marantifolia, O. alpina, O. latifolia,
and O. abyssinica.
Ohrnberger [1], Bystriakova
et al. [18], INBAR [17], Clayton
et al. [19]
34 R´
eunion N. borbonicus D. giganteus Inada and Hall [20], INBAR
[17]
35 Rwanda O. alpina and O. abyssinica. B. vulgaris
Phillips [2], Inada and Hall
[20], INBAR [17], Clayton et al.
[19]
36 São Tom´
e and
Pr´
ıncipe O. latifolia and O. abyssinica. B. balcooa and B. vulgaris. INBAR [17], Haroun et al. [32]
37 Senegal O. latifolia and O. abyssinica
Phillips [2], Ohrnberger [1],
Bystriakova et al. [18], Inada
and Hall [20], INBAR [17],
Clayton et al. [19]
38 Seychelles B. multiplex, B. vulgaris, D. giganteus,
D. strictus, and P. nigra. Zhou [16], INBAR [17]
39 Sierra Leone G. oblonga, O. latifolia, and
O. abyssinica. B. vulgaris
Ohrnberger [1], Bystriakova
et al. [18], INBAR [17], Clayton
et al. [19]
40 South Africa O. abyssinica and B. tessellata. B. balcooa Ohrnberger [1], Bystriakova
et al. [18], Inada and Hall [20]
41 South Sudan O. alpina and O. abyssinica. Ohrnberger [1], Bystriakova
et al. [18], Clayton et al. [19]
42 Sudan O. alpina, O. latifolia, and O. abyssinica.
B. polymorpha, B. teres, B. tulda,
B. vulgaris, D. giganteus, D. hamiltonii,
D. longispathus, D. strictus, S. pergracile,
and Melocanna baccifera.
Phillips [2], Ohrnberger [1];
Bystriakova et al. [18]; zhou
[16]; INBAR [17]; Clayton et al.
[19]
43 Swaziland O. abyssinica INBAR [17]
44 Togo
B. bambos, B. multiplex, B. vulgaris
(B. vulgaris var. striata), O. latifolia,
and O. abyssinica.
B. beecheyana, B. birmanica,
B. dissimulator, B. edulis, B. oldhamii,
B. nutans, B. polymorpha, B. spinosa,
B. ventricosa, B. warmin, D. brandisii,
D. latiflorus, D. membranaceus,
D. strictus, G. albociliata, Gigantochloa
bali white, Gigantochloa luteostriata,
Gigantochloa malay dwarf,
G. angustifolia, and G. chacoensis.
Ohrnberger [1], Bystriakova
et al. [18], Kokutse et al. [33],
INBAR [17], Clayton et al. [19]
45 Uganda H. africana, O. alpina, O. latifolia,
O. buchwaldii, and O. abyssinica. D. asper
Ohrnberger [1], Bystriakova
et al. [18], zhou [16], Inada and
Hall (2008), Ingram et al. [23],
INBAR [17], INBAR [34],
Clayton et al. [19]
46
United
Republic of
Tanzania
B. vulgaris (B. vulgaris var. green and
B. vulgaris var. vittata), H. africana,
O. alpina, O. latifolia, O. buchwaldii,
and O. abyssinica.
Grimshaw [21], Ohrnberger [1],
Bystriakova et al. [18], zhou
[16], Inada and Hall [20],
INBAR [17], Clayton et al. [19]
47 Zambia O. alpina, O. latifolia, O. buchwaldii,
and O. abyssinica.
Ohrnberger [1], Bystriakova
et al. [18], zhou [16], INBAR
[17], Clayton et al. [19]
48 Zimbabwe O. latifolia, O. buchwaldii, and
O. abyssinica.
Ohrnberger [1], Bystriakova
et al. [18], INBAR [17], Clayton
et al. [19]
6International Journal of Forestry Research

Table 2: A complete checklist and the scientific names of bamboo species in the African region.
No. Species name
1Bambusa balcooa Roxb.
2Bambusa bambos (L.) Voss and ∗Bambusa arundinacea (Retz.) Willd.
3Bambusa beecheyana Munro
4
+
Bambusa birmanica
5Bambusa burmanica Gamble
6Bambusa dissimulator McClure
7Bambusa emeiensis L. C. Chia and H. L. Fung
8Bambusa heterostachya (Munro) Holttum
9Bambusa lako Widjaja
10 Bambusa multiplex ՝Albovariegata՛and ∗Bambusa multiplex ՝Silverstripe՛Fernleaf՛
11 Bambusa multiplex (Lour.) Raeusch. ex Schult. f., ∗Bambusa multiplex f. alphonse-karrii (Mitford ex Satow) Nakai, or Bambusa
multiplex Roxb.
12 Bambusa nutans Wall. ex Munro
13 Bambusa oldhamii Munro
14 Bambusa pachinensis Hayata and ∗Bambusa textilis var. fusca McClure
15 Bambusa pervariabilis McClure
16 Bambusa polymorpha Munro
17 Bambusa spinosa Roxb and ∗Bambusa blumeana Schult. f.
18 Bambusa teres Munro
19 Bambusa textilis McClure
20 Bambusa tulda Roxb.
21 Bambusa ventricosa McClure
22
Bambusa vulgaris Schrad. ex J. C. Wendl., ∗Bambusa madagascariensis Rivi`ere and C. Rivi`ere, Bambusa striata Lodd. ex Lindl.,
+
Bambusa vulgaris var. green,Bambusa vulgaris var. striata (Lodd. ex Lindl.) Gamble, and Bambusa vulgaris var. vittata Rivi`
ere and
C. Rivi`
ere
23
+
Bambusa warmin
24 Bergbambos tessellata (Nees) Stapleton and ∗amnocalamus tessellatus (Nees) Soderstr. and R. P. Ellis
25
+
Brachystachyum stellatus
26 Cathariostachys capitata (Kunth) S. Dransf.
27 Cathariostachys madagascariensis (A. Camus) S. Dransf.
28 Cephalostachyum chapelieri Munro
29 Cephalostachyum perrieri A. Camus
30 Cephalostachyum sp.
31 Cephalostachyum viguieri A. Camus
32 Dayeteng spp.
33 Decaryochloa diadelpha A. Camus
34 Dendrocalamus asper (Schult. Schult. f.) Backer ex K. Heyne
35 Dendrocalamus barbatus Hsueh and D. Z. Li
36 Dendrocalamus brandisii (Munro) Kurz and ∗Bambusa brandisii Munro
37 Dendrocalamus giganteus Munro
38 Dendrocalamus hamiltonii Nees and Arn. ex Munro
39 Dendrocalamus latiflorus Munro
40 Dendrocalamus longispathus (Kurz) Kurz
41 Dendrocalamus membranaceus Munro
42 Dendrocalamus peculiaris Hsueh and D. Z. Li
43 Dendrocalamus sinicus L. C. Chia and J. L. Sun
44 Dendrocalamus strictus (Roxb.) Nees
45 Fargesia robusta T. P. Yi
46 Gelidocalamus stellatus T. H. Wen
47 Gigantochloa albociliata (Munro) Kurz
48 Gigantochloa apus (Schult. f.) Kurz
49 Gigantochloa atter (Hassk.) Kurz
50
+
Gigantochloa bali white
51 Gigantochloa felix (Keng) Keng f. and ∗Oxytenanthera felix Keng
52 Gigantochloa luteostriata Widjaja
53
+
Gigantochloa malay dwarf
54
+
Gigantochloa sumatra
55 Gigantochloa verticillata (Willd.) Munro and ∗
+
Gigantochloa aff. pseudoarundinacea
56 Guadua amplexifolia J. Presl in C. B. Presl
57 Guadua angustifolia Kunth
International Journal of Forestry Research 7

Table 2: Continued.
No. Species name
58 Guadua chacoensis (Rojas Acosta) Londoño and P. M. Peterson
59 Guaduella densiflora Pilger ap. Engler
60 Guaduella dichroa T. A. Cope
61 Guaduella humilis W. D. Clayton
62 Guaduella macrostachys (K. Schumann) Pilger
63 Guaduella marantifolia Franchet
64 Guaduella oblonga Hutchinson ex W. D. Clayton
65 Hickelia africana S. Dransf.
66 Hickelia alaotrensis A. Camus
67 Hickelia madagascariensis A. Camus
68 Hickelia perrieri (A. Camus) S. Dransf.
69 Hitchcockella baronii A. Camus
70 Melocanna baccifera (Roxb.) Kurz and ∗Melocanna bambusoides Trin. in K. P. J. Sprengel
71 Nastus ambrensis A. Camus
72 Nastus aristatus A. Camus
73 Nastus borbonicus J. F. Gmel.
74 Nastus decaryanus A. Camus
75 Nastus elongatus A. Camus
76 Nastus emirnensis (Baker) A. Camus
77 Nastus humbertianus A. Camus
78 Nastus lokohoensis A. Camus
79 Nastus madagascariensis A. Camus
80 Nastus manongarivensis A. Camus
81 Nastus perrieri A. Camus
82 Nastus tsaratananensis A. Camus
83
+
Nuomizhu xiaoyeteng
84 Ochlandra capitata (Kunth) Camus
85 Ochlandra travancorica (Bedd.) Gamble
86 Oldeania alpina (K. Schum.) Stapleton, ∗Arundinaria alpina K. Schum., Yushania alpina (K. Schum.) W. C. Linor, and
Sinarundinaria alpina (K. Schum.) C. S. Chao and Renvoize
87 Olyra latifolia L.
88 Oreobambos buchwaldii K. Schum.
89 Oxytenanthera abyssinica (A. Rich.) Munro and ∗Oxytenanthera braunii Pilg.
90 Perrierbambus madagascariensis A. Camus
91 Perrierbambus tsarasaotrensis A. Camus
92 Phyllostachys aurea (Andr´e) Rivi`ere and C. Rivi`ere
93 Phyllostachys edulis (Carri`
ere) J. Houz, ∗Phyllostachys pubescens (Pradelle) Mazel ex J. Houz., Phyllostachys heterocycla var.
pubescens (Pradelle) Ohwi, or Bambusa edulis Carri`ere
94 Phyllostachys nigra var. henonis (Mitford) Rendle
95 Pleioblastus fortunei (Van Houtte) Nakai and ∗Sasa pygmaea (Miq.) Rehder
96 Pseudosasa amabilis (McClure) Keng f. and ∗Arundinaria amabilis McClure
97 Pseudosasa japonica (Siebold and zucc. ex Steud.) Makino ex Nakai
98
+
Puelia atractocarpa
99 Schizostachyum jaculans Holttum
100 Schizostachyum pergracile (Munro) R. B. Majumdar in S. Karthikeyan et al. and ∗Cephalostachyum pergracile Munro
101 Schizostachyum perrieri A. Camus
102 Shibataea chinensis Nakai
103 Shibataea kumasaca (Zoll. ex Steud.) Makino
104 Sirochloa parvifolia (Munro) S. Dransf., ∗Schizostachyum parvifolium Munro, or Schizostachyum bosseri A. Camus
105 amnocalamus ibityensis (A. Camus) Ohrnb.
106 amnocalamus sp.
107 yrsostachys siamensis Gamble
108 Valiha diffusa S. Dransf.
109 Valiha perrieri (A. Camus) S. Dransf and ∗Ochlandra perrieri A. Camus
110 Valiha sp.
111 Yushania baishazuensis Z. P. Wang and G. H. Ye
112 Yushania humbertii (A. Camus) Ohrnb and ∗Yushania ambositrensis (A. Camus) Ohrnb.
113 Yushania madagascariensis (A. Camus) Ohrnb and ∗Yushania marojejyensis (A. Camus) Ohrnb.
114 Yushania perrieri (A. Camus) Ohrnb.
115 Yushania sp.
Note. Most recently accepted scientific names are provided in the bamboo species checklist following Phillips [2], Ohrnberger [1], Wu et al. [3], Inada and Hall
[20], INBAR [17], and Clayton et al. [19]. e most commonly used taxonomic synonyms and varieties are indicated with asterisks. Incomplete scientific
names due to inadequate information are further illustrated with cross marks.
8International Journal of Forestry Research

Table 3: A checklist of bamboo genera classified into taxonomic tribes in the African region.
No.
Major taxonomic tribes and their respective bamboo genera in the African region Total number of
nations
Tribe.Arundinarieae 19
Genus name Distribution of each genus in the African nations
1Bergbambos Lesotho 1
2Brachystachyum Nigeria 1
3Fargesia Nigeria 1
4Gelidocalamus Nigeria 1
5Oldeania Burundi, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Republic of
Congo, Rwanda, South Sudan, Sudan, Uganda, United Republic of Tanzania, and Zambia 13
6Phyllostachys Cameroon, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Madagascar, and Nigeria 6
7Pleioblastus Nigeria 1
8Pseudosasa Algeria, Morocco and Kenya 3
9Shibataea Kenya and Nigeria 2
10 amnocalamus Lesotho and Madagascar 2
11 Yushania Madagascar 1
Tribe. Bambuseae 45
12 Bambusa
Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Cote d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt,
Ethiopia, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Libya, Madagascar, Mozambique, Mauritius, Mozambique,
Nigeria, Rwanda, São Tom´
e and Pr´
ıncipe, Sierra Leone, Seychelles, South Africa, Sudan,
Togo, and United Republic of Tanzania
24
13 Cathariostachys Madagascar 1
14 Cephalostachyum Madagascar 1
15 Decaryochloa Madagascar 1
16 Dendrocalamus Benin, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Madagascar, Mauritius,
Mozambique, Nigeria, R´
eunion, Seychelles, Sudan, Togo, and Uganda 14
17 Gigantochloa Ethiopia, Ghana, Madagascar, and Togo 4
18 Guadua Ethiopia, Ghana, and Uganda 3
19 Hickelia Kenya, Madagascar, Uganda, and United Republic of Tanzania 4
20 Hitchcockella Madagascar 1
21 Melocanna Sudan 1
22 Nastus Madagascar 1
23 Ochlandra Madagascar 1
24 Oreobambos Angola, Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Uganda,
United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe 10
25 Oxytenanthera
Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Cote
d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gambia,
Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Niger,
Nigeria, Republic of Congo, Rwanda, São Tom´
e and Pr´
ıncipe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South
Africa, South Sudan, Sudan, Swaziland, Togo, Uganda, United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia,
and Zimbabwe
38
26 Perrierbambus Madagascar 1
27 Schizostachyum Ethiopia, Kenya, and Madagascar 3
28 Sirochloa Comoros and Madagascar 2
29 yrsostachys Ethiopia, Ghana, and Kenya 3
30 Valiha Madagascar 1
Tribe.Guaduelleae 10
31 Guaduella Angola, Cameroon, Cote d’Ivoire, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria, Republic of
Congo, and Sierra Leone 10
Tribe.Olyreae 30
32 Olyra
Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Comoros, Cote
d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana,
Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Nigeria, Republic of Congo,
São Tom´e and Pr´
ıncipe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Togo, Uganda, United Republic of
Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe
30
Tribe.Puelieae 1
33 Puelia Cameroon 1
Tribe. Others 1
34 Dayeteng Nigeria 1
35 Nuomizhu Nigeria 1
Note. Listed bamboo genera are classified into each taxonomic tribe following Ohrnberger [1], Wu et al. [3], Inada and Hall [20], INBAR [17], and Clayton
et al. [19].
International Journal of Forestry Research 9

Table 4: A summary of bamboo resource diversity and distribution in the African region.
African
region
Species Genera
Indigenous Introduced Total Indigenous Introduced Total
Mainland
Africa
B. bambos, B. multiplex,
B. pervariabilis,
B. vulgaris, B. tessellata,
D. strictus, G. felix,
G. densiflora, G. dichroa,
G. humilis,
G. macrostachys,
G. marantifolia,
G. oblonga, H. africana,
O. alpina, O. latifolia,
O. buchwaldii,
O. abyssinica,
P. amabilis,
P. atractocarpa, and
amnocalamus sp.
21
B. balcooa, B. bambos,
B. beecheyana,
B. birmanica,
B. burmanica,
B. dissimulator,
B. emeiensis,
B. heterostachya,
B. lako,B. multiplex
՝Albovariegata՛,
B. multiplex, B. nutans,
B. oldhamii,
B. pachinensis,
B. polymorpha,
B. spinosa, B. teres,
B. textilis, B. tulda,
B. ventricosa,
B. warmin, B. vulgaris,
B. stellatus, D. asper,
D. barbatus,
D. brandisii,
D. giganteus,
D. hamiltonii,
D. latiflorus,
D. longispathus,
D. membranaceus,
D. peculiaris, D. sinicus,
Dendrocalamus spp.,
F. robusta,
G. albociliata,
G. angustifolia,
G. chacoensis,
G. stellatus,
G. albociliata, G. apus,
G. atter, G. bali white,
G. luteostriata,
G. malay dwarf,
G. sumatra,
G. amplexifolia,
G. angustifolia,
M. baccifera,
N. xiaoyeteng,
O. abyssinica,
O. travancorica,
P. nigra var. henonis,
P. aurea, P. edulis,
P. fortunei, P. japonica,
S. pergracile,
S. jaculans, S. chinensis,
S. kumasaca,
T. siamensis, and
Y. baishazuensis
63 78
Bambusa,
Bergbambos,
Dendrocalamus,
Gigantochloa,
Guaduella, Hickelia,
Oldeania, Olyra,
Oreobambos,
Oxytenanthera,
Pseudosasa, Puelia,
and amnocalamus
13
Bambusa,
Brachystachyum,
Dayeteng,
Dendrocalamus,
Fargesia,
Gelidocalamus,
Gigantochloa,
Guadua,
Melocanna,
Nuomizhu,
Ochlandra,
Oxytenanthera,
Phyllostachys,
Pleioblastus,
Pseudosasa,
Schizostachyum,
Shibataea,
yrsostachys, and
Yushania
19 27
10 International Journal of Forestry Research

back within the region. In this case, O. abyssinica is well
known among 38 (79.2%) African nations, followed by
O. alpina with a total of 13 (27.1%) African countries. On the
other hand, 27.1% of the nations contain both species. For
example, their total area coverage only from Ethiopia is 1.44
million ha [35], suggesting that a huge resource potential is
found in the region. eir tremendous socioeconomic,
cultural, and ecological uses commonly practiced by the
local people are also cited as a model for bamboo resource
utilization. Among others, Ethiopia is well-known for the
untapped resource potential and wider distribution of these
species in different agroecologies. ere are also relatively
more previous works carried out, and better information is
comparatively available for these species. With this un-
derstanding, detail literature review on general back-
ground, biology, origin and distribution, status and
resource potential, multipurpose uses, and silvicultural
applications of O. abyssinica and O. alpina are extensively
conducted and provided from Ethiopia. Figures and photos
are further provided by the corresponding author from his
previous professional experience in forestry research at the
national research system particularly for indigenous
bamboo species.
5.1. Oldeania alpina (K. Schum.)
Common name: highland/alpine/African alpine bam-
boo [2, 4]
Local name: Kerkeha in Amharic and Lemen in Affan
Oromo languages [2, 39].
Synonymous: Arundinaria alpina K. Schum., Yushania
alpina (K. Schum.) W. C. Lin, and Sinarundinaria
alpina (K. Schum.) Chao and Renv [2, 4, 17]
Description: it grows up to a maximum height of 17 m
and diameter of 13 cm from a stout branching rhizome
[4]
Table 4: Continued.
African
region
Species Genera
Indigenous Introduced Total Indigenous Introduced Total
Six islands
B. stellatus, C. capitata,
C. madagascariensis,
C. chapelieri, C. perrieri,
Cephalostachyum. sp.,
C. viguieri, D. diadelpha,
H. alaotrensis,
H. madagascariensis,
H. perrieri, H. baronii,
N. aristatus,
N. borbonicus,
N. decaryanus,
N. elongatus,
N. emirnensis,
N. humbertianus,
N. lokohoensis,
N. madagascariensis,
N. manongarivensis,
N. perrieri,
N. tsaratananensis,
N. ambrensis,
O. abyssinica,
O. capitata, O. latifolia,
P. madagascariensis,
P. tsarasaotrensis,
S. perrieri, S. parvifolia,
T. ibityensis,
amnocalamus sp.,
V. perrieri, V. diffusa,
Valiha sp.,Y. humbertii,
Y. madagascariensis,
Y. perrieri, and
Yushania sp.
40
B. balcooa,
B. multiplex, B. spinosa,
B. vulgaris, D. asper,
D. giganteus,
D. strictus, G. aff.
Pseudoarundinacea,
P. aurea, and P. nigra
10 50
Brachystachyum,
Cathariostachys,
Cephalostachyum,
Decaryochloa,
Hickelia,
Hitchcockella,
Nastus, Ochlandra,
Olyra,
Oxytenanthera,
Perrierbambus,
Schizostachyum,
Sirochloa,
amnocalamus,
Valiha, and Yushania
16
Bambusa,
Dendrocalamus,
Gigantochloa, and
Phyllostachys
4 20
Total 58 65 115 25 19 35
International Journal of Forestry Research 11

Rhizome type: there is a controversial issue on the
rhizome type of O. alpina (Figure 2(a)). It is either
monopodial or leptomorph rhizome type [2] or
pachymorph or sympodial rhizome type [4, 29].
According to Meredith [4], some of the rhizome necks
are exceptionally elongated and exhibit a spreading
habit instead of forming a dense clump [4]. Such
loose clump-forming pachymorph rhizome makes
the species improperly considered under the running
or creeping rhizome type, i.e., monopodial rhizome
type [29].
Culms sheaths: the culm sheath (Figure 4(a)), which is
covered with dense hairs, contains reddish-brown
bristles and fimbriate auricles at the tip part [2]
Table 5: A summary of the origin and distribution of bamboo resource in the African region.
List of countries Origin of bamboo species
Indigenous Introduced Total
Algeria 1 1
Angola 5 5
Benin 2 3 5
Burkina Faso 2 1 3
Burundi 4 4
Cameroon 10 3 13
Central African Republic 2 2
Chad 1 1
Comoros ∗22
Cote d’Ivoire 3 1 4
Democratic Republic of Congo 4 2 6
Egypt 2 2
Equatorial Guinea 2 2
Eritrea 1 1
Ethiopia 3 25 28
Gabon 3 3
Gambia 2 2
Ghana 8 16 24
Guinea 2 1 3
Guinea-Bissau 2 2
Kenya 5 16 21
Lesotho 3 3
Liberia 3 3
Libya 1 1
Indigenous Introduced Total
Madagascar ∗37 8 45
Malawi 4 4
Mali 1 1
Mauritius ∗1 2 3
Morocco 1 1
Mozambique 3 4 7
Niger 1 1
Nigeria 4 12 16
Republic of Congo 4 4
R´
eunion ∗1 1 2
Rwanda 2 1 3
São Tom´
e and Pr´
ıncipe ∗2 2 4
Senegal 2 2
Seychelles ∗55
Sierra Leone 3 1 4
South Africa 2 1 3
South Sudan 2 2
Sudan 3 10 13
Swaziland 1 1
United Republic of Tanzania 6 6
Togo 5 20 25
Uganda 5 1 6
Zambia 4 4
Zimbabwe 3 3
Note. e six islands surrounding the mainland Africa are indicated with asterisks. e species list for each country is in Table 1.
12 International Journal of Forestry Research

Flowering pattern: the flowering pattern of O. alpina
(Figure 5) is sporadic flowering [29, 39]. is means
only some individuals or clumps within the bamboo
forest are flowered, produce seeds, and eventually died,
while the rest part of the bamboo forest is alive [39].
Yet, Kigomo [29] reported that after the flowering of
the species, seeds are produced and still the flowered
clumps are alive instead of dying.
Inflorescence: the paniculate inflorescence is loose to
fairly compact in appearance. e shape of the spikelet,
which is comprised 4–11 flowers, ranged from linear to
linear-elliptic [2]. e author also noted that lanceolate
to oblong-shaped lemmas on each spikelet are covered
with hairs.
Distribution: O. alpina is found in montane forest often
on volcanic soils, with Podocarpus in upland rainforest
and with Juniperus in drier forest frequently planted
along roads and in villages [2]. e species, which is
indigenous to equatorial Africa, can grow in full
sunlight but can also be found within a minimum
temperature of −4 C [4]. It is distributed in Gojam,
Shewa, Kefa, Gamo Gofa, Sidamo, and Bale regions
(Figure 6) at the altitudes ranging from 2200 m to
4000 m above the sea level [2].
Silvicultural application: despite the limited availability
of seeds, the species is propagated by seeds as shown in
Figure 7(a) [40] or collected seedlings from the wild at
nursery. e species is also vegetatively propagated
through offset cutting, culm cutting [29, 41], culm
layering, branch cutting, rhizome cutting [41], and
macroproliferation [29, 39].
Table 6: Status and potential of bamboo resource in the African region.
Country Bamboo area
(1000 ha)
Bamboo
area (%)
Forest area
(1000 ha), GFRA
(2015)
Bamboo to
forest area
(%)
Year of
available
data
Reference Remark
Cameroon 5 0.11 18816 0.03 2010 Ingram et al.
[23]
Data only from
northwest of
Cameroon.
Congo 102 2.24 22334 0.46 1988 UNDIO [39, 42]
cited in FAO [7]
Ethiopia 1439 31.55 12499 11.51 2018 Zhao et al. [35]
Ghana 400 8.77 9337 4.28 2015 INBAR [27]
Kenya 131 2.87 4413 2.97 2018 Zhao et al. [35]
Nigeria 1590 34.86 6993 22.74 2007 FAO [7] Overestimated and not
verified.
Rwanda 17 0.37 480 3.54 1985 FRA (1985) cited
in FAO [7]
Senegal 661 14.49 8273 7.99 2010 FAO [36]
Sudan 31 0.68 19210 0.16 2010 FAO [36]
Uganda 54.6 1.20 2077 2.63 2018 Zhao et al. [35]
United
Republic of
Tanzania
128 2.81 46060 0.28 2010 FAO [7] cited in
FAO [36]
Zimbabwe 3.2 0.07 14062 0.02 2001 FAO (2001)
cited in FAO [7]
Total 4561.8 100 164554 100
Figure 2: Rhizome type of (a) O. alpina (source: [37]) and (b) O. abyssinica. Clumps and culms: it is characterized by erect, thick-walled, and
hollow culm bamboo species (Figures 3(a) and 3(b)).
International Journal of Forestry Research 13

Once seedlings are raised at nursery or green house
(Figure 8(a)), weeding, hoeing, fertilizer application,
supervision of insect and pest, and acclimatization
(hardening) are carried out. Following this, seedlings
are safely transported to prepared plantation sites and
planted with or without the application of organic
manure. Once established, the survival rate and growth
performance of seedlings are supervised and dead
seedlings are replaced. Hereafter, various plantation
managements including thinning, fertilizer application,
selective cutting, regular weeding and cleaning, soil
loosening, supervision of insect pests and diseases, and
controlling animal browsing, rodent damage, and fire
outbreaks are conducted.
Figure 3: O. alpina standing culms (a) and thick and hollow culm (b).
Figure 4: Culms sheaths of (a) O. alpina and (b) O. abyssinica. Leaves: linear lanceolate-shaped leaf blade is extended from the culm sheath.
269
270
271
272
273
274
Figure 5: Bamboo mass flowering and seed production of (a) O. alpina in Hula district of Sidama Zone, SNNPR in 2017 and
(b) O. abyssinica (source: [38]).
14 International Journal of Forestry Research

Key
Highland bamboo
Lowland bamboo
Figure 6: Geographical distribution of O. alpina and O. abyssinica in Ethiopia. Origin: indigenous to Ethiopia and endemic to Africa
[13, 14].
Figure 7: Fresh collected seeds of (a) O. alpina from Hula district and (b) O. abyssinica from Assosa district after mass flowering and fruiting
in 2017.
Figure 8: O. alpina (a) and O. abyssinica (b) seedlings at CEE-FRC greenhouse in January 2021, Addis Ababa.
International Journal of Forestry Research 15

Uses: traditional house construction and fencing, furniture
and household utensils, farming tools, livestock fodder and
traditional medicine, production of handicrafts (basketry,
mats, hats, and decorative items), water pipes, weaving,
beehive, musical instruments and weapons, walking sticks,
furniture, and other household utensils. In recent years,
various industries and factories are emerged on processing
and production of bamboo products. Some of these
products are production of toothpicks and chopsticks,
parquet flooring, window blinds, curtains, bioenergy
(charcoal and briquettes (Figure 9)), and other related
products for local and international market.
5.2. Oxytenanthera abyssinica (A. Rich.) Munro
Common name: lowland bamboo [2, 13, 14, 42]
Local name: Shimel in Amharic and Shimalla in Affan
Oromo [2, 42]
Synonymous: Bambusa abyssinica A. Rich. [2, 13, 14]
Description: O. abyssinica grows up to a height of 13 m
and a diameter of 10 cm [2]
Rhizome type: the species is a solid clump-forming
bamboo and classified under the sympodial or
pachymorph rhizome type [2, 4, 29, 42]. It is
Figure 9: Bamboo charcoal making in Ethiopia (source: [22]).
Figure 10: O. abyssinica standing culms (a) and thick and solid culms after maturation (b).
Figure 11: Traditional use of bamboo for (a) house construction, (b) fencing, and (c) household utensils (e.g., basket).
16 International Journal of Forestry Research

characterized by a short-necked rhizome type, and each
new rhizome turns up ward and sprouts to shoot and
eventually develops into a young culm (Figure 2(b)).
Culms: it has an erect or ascending culm with a height
of 3–13 m and a culm diameter of 5–10 cm [2]. Unlike
most of the bamboo species, it has semisolid culm
(Figures 10(a) and 10(b)) during the early stage of
development but solid after maturation [2, 4, 29, 42].
During the early young stage, the culm is silky and
hairy, while shiny with various colors after maturation
[2].
Culms sheaths: it is covered with brown hairs with leaf
blade at its tip part (Figure 4(a)). However, the sheath
further consists of a few deciduous setae on the
shoulders but without auricles [2].
Leaves: narrow lanceolate-oblong leaf blade is attached to
culm sheath with a very short petiole or pseudopetiole [2]
Flowering pattern: the flowering pattern of
O. abyssinica is gregarious flowering (Figure 5(b)), i.e.,
mass flowering followed by mass death of the whole
bamboo forest after seed production [38, 42]. Still other
findings report that the species has both flowering
patterns, i.e., cyclical gregarious flowering and un-
predictable sporadic flowering [29, 42]. is suggests
that there is no consistency of data on the flowering
intervals of these species, and it varies among different
sources. erefore, detail and long-term study on
flowering phenomena needs special attention.
Inflorescence: this species has an inflorescence with a
spiky globose head and characterized by narrow lan-
ceolate-shaped spikelet [2]. In addition, the same au-
thor noted that the fertile lemmas have comparable
length to the spikelet unlike the sterile lemmas with a
shorter size.
Distribution: the species is widely distributed in low-
land regions of western and northwestern parts of
Ethiopia [43] in Tigray, Gonder, Gojam, and Welega
regions as shown in Figure 6 [2]. Oxytenanthera
abyssinica is found in savanna woodland, favoring river
valleys, often forming extensive stands at the altitudes
ranging from 1200 m to 1800 m above the sea level [2].
Yet, Meredith [4] explained that it is distributed
throughout tropical Africa at altitudinal ranges from
near the sea level to 2000 m in savannahs and on
hillsides. Its annual rainfall ranges 700–1000 mm,
which is concentrated over a period of three to four
months with the mean annual temperature of above
30 C [42]. e species can grow at a minimum tem-
perature of −1 C and prefers moist conditions along
waterways [4]. However, this author further found out
that O. abyssinica can grow in full sunlight, and it is also
drought resistant and may be deciduous in hot and dry
conditions. e species is easily adaptable to poor soils
and provided as a buffer zone for desert areas. e
species form either a large area pure forest or they are
found as middle and lower layers in the mixed forest
associated by other species in the mountainous areas.
Origin: indigenous to Ethiopia and endemic to Africa
[13, 14]
Silvicultural application: the species is propagated by
seeds as shown in Figure 7(b) [29, 40, 44–47] or col-
lected seedlings from the wild at nursery. ere is also
better availability of O. abyssinica seeds, higher seed
germination, and better greenhouse performance of
seedlings compared to O. alpina (Figure 8)(b) [40]. In
addition, the species is vegetatively propagated through
offset cutting, macroproliferation [29, 42], and tissue
culture [48]. Once seedlings are raised at nursery or
green house, weeding, hoeing, fertilizer application,
supervision of insects and pests, and acclimatization
(hardening) are carried out [46]. Following this,
seedlings are safely transported to prepared plantation
sites and planted with or without the application of
organic manure. Once established, the survival rate and
growth performance of seedlings are supervised and
dead seedlings are replaced. Hereafter, various plan-
tation managements including thinning, fertilizer ap-
plication, selective cutting, regular weeding and
cleaning, soil loosening, supervision of insects, pests,
and diseases, and controlling animal browsing, rodent
damage, fire outbreaks are conducted.
Uses: traditional house construction and fencing,
furniture and household utensils, farming tools, edible
shoot production, livestock fodder and traditional
medicine, production of handicrafts (basketry, mats,
hats, and decorative items), water pipes, weaving,
beehive, musical instruments and weapons, walking
sticks, furniture, and other household utensils. In re-
cent years, various industries and factories are emerged
on processing and production of bamboo products.
Some of these products are production of toothpicks
and chopsticks, parquet flooring, window blinds,
curtains, bioenergy (charcoal and briquette), and other
related products for local and international market.
6. Opportunities and Challenges on Bamboo
Resource in the African Region
6.1. Opportunities. Our extensive literature review indicated
that bamboo resource has some tremendous opportunities
for its development and promotion in the region. e Af-
rican region has untapped bamboo resource potential with
immense socioeconomic, cultural, and ecological signifi-
cances to local people (Figures 11(a)–11(c)). At the same
time, due to its fast growth rate, high biomass production,
and short rotation period, bamboo resource is one of the
most promising and suitable species to replace the forest
resource. In recent years, emerging community-based
bamboo processing cooperatives, enterprises, and industries
for different end products are some of the opportunities.
Some of these products are production of baskets, mats,
toothpicks and chopsticks, parquet flooring, window blinds,
curtains, and other related products for local and interna-
tional market. Bamboo biomass also can provide a sustained
source of feedstock for bamboo-based bioenergy
International Journal of Forestry Research 17

production. us, bioenergy is produced by the conversion
of bamboo biomass into solid fuels (firewood, charcoal, and
briquette for cooking, heating, and lighting), liquid fuels or
biofuels (bioethanol and biomethane production), and
biogas (to produce power or electricity) [49]. Its suitability to
replace the role of forest products such as timber and wood is
its best potential value. For instance, bamboo culms are
commonly served as scaffoldings and replaced the role of
iron steel or wood functions [50]. Nowadays, timber har-
vesting, bamboo poles, and scaffoldings are emerging op-
portunities for bamboo resource development. Selling of
bamboo culms is one of the attractive income generating
activities in the bamboo sector in Ethiopia. According to Lou
[8], the global bamboo trade is estimated to be between $1.5
and 2.5 billion. Out of $18 million exports of bamboo
products in African, Ethiopia contributes $0.23 million,
which is accounted for about 0.02% of the global exports
[51]. e same study also reported that bamboo pole, which
is the most exported bamboo commodity, accounted for
about $0.23 million. A total of 89,845 highland bamboo
poles are produced by the smallholder households for house
construction, furniture production, handcraft making (bed,
table, chair, shelve, and mat), fencing, and household
utensils [52]. In turn, the average total annual income from
bamboo in Sidama, Awi, and Sheka is 2235, 2084, and 284
Birr, respectively [53]. In the same way, out of the average
annual 21000 bamboo culms supply, an average annual
$6738 net income is earned at Addis Ababa market [54].
Edible bamboo shoots are one of the most important sources
of daily dish with rich sources of nutritional contents. For
instance, the nutritional analysis of indigenous bamboo
species in Ethiopia (A. alpina and O. abyssinica) indicated
that both species have almost comparable moisture content,
ash, crude fiber, protein, fat, and mineral (iron, zinc, and
sodium) composition [55]. By contrast, the same authors
found that tannin and phytate contents in O. abyssinica and
HCN in A. alpina are low.us, bamboo shoots production
is one of the most promising species to ensure food security
especially in the rural setting. Associated with this resource
base assessment, introducing new species from elsewhere,
propagation, utilization, and management practices of the
bamboo resources are enhanced from time to time. On the
other hand, it has a high potential to sink a considerable
amount of carbon and hence confront climate change across
the globe. For instance, literature review from various
previous studies reported that mean carbon storage rate
ranges from 30 Mg ha
−1
to 121 Mg ha
−1
, while the mean
carbon sequestration potential is 6–13 Mg ha
−1
yr
−1
[56].
Similarly, the carbon sequestration potential of Moso
bamboo is 43 tone ha
−1
[8]. is, in turn, plays a paramount
importance in the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM)
and Climate Resilient Green Economy (CRGE).
6.2. Challenges and Constraints. Despite immense oppor-
tunities of the resource, there are critical challenges faced to
the bamboo resource in the African region. Our extensive
literature review reported that data are almost unavailable,
fragmented, inconsistent, and even contradictory [7]. For
instance, the study further noted that out of 7 introduced
bamboo species in Algeria, only 1 species is identified and
included during this review. In addition, the resource is
marginalized and neglected by development practitioners so
that its utilization is restricted to traditional and cultural uses
in the rural setting. Its importance and use are limited to hut
construction, fencing, production of handicrafts (basketry,
mats, hats, and decorative items), water pipes, furniture, and
other household utensils. Among others, common occur-
rence in the river banks, stream banks, pocket areas, hill-
sides, between fields and abandoned areas, degraded areas,
and planted as hedges are some of the existing evidences.
Due to this reason, there are limited management practices,
and hence, depletion of bamboo resource is the major
concern in potential areas. Likewise, the resource is grad-
ually declining due to various human-induced and natural
factors. ese include agricultural expansion or shifting
cultivation, high fuel wood demand, construction and hu-
man settlement, and other associated factors
[7, 13, 14, 36, 39, 42]. Uncontrolled and/or deliberate forest
fire in the dryland areas, overgrazing/over browsing by
livestock particularly during dry seasons in lowland areas
(O. abyssinica) or in limited feed resource in the highland
areas (O. alpina), and overharvesting the resource further
aggravate the problem. Furthermore, limited availability of
seeds; difficulty in seed collection, processing, and handling;
low seed viability; and poor seed storage characteristics are
the practical problems in bamboo large-scale propagation
using seeds [40, 47]. e problem is even more complicated
with mass flowering and death of bamboo (Figures 5(a) and
5)(b), flowering at longer intervals, and unpredicted flow-
ering [29, 38, 39, 42]. Overall, all the aforementioned lim-
itations influence the small-scale and large-scale plantation
expansion and development, sustainable use and manage-
ment, as well as genetic resource conservation of the species.
erefore, it needs urgent call for special focus and action for
the sustainable development and promotion of bamboo
resource in the African region.
7. Successful Achievements on Bamboo
Resource in the African Region
Despite the long history of bamboo resource in the African
region, bamboo processing and utilization are at the infant
stage. However, bamboo processing and utilization in
Ethiopia have some base and more competitive than other
African countries [57]. e same author reported that there
are above 100 bamboo furniture enterprises in Ethiopia with
high quality and well-designed products. is author also
noted that four modem enterprises produce bamboo floor,
door, curtain, charcoal, and other products in Ethiopia.
Currently, some successful achievements have been con-
ducted on bamboo development and promotion in the re-
gion. First, an international intergovernmental organization,
i.e., International Network for Bamboo and Rattan (INBAR)
was established in 1997 between China and Africa for the
sustainable development of bamboo and rattan in Africa
[12]. With this opportunity, 40 African countries are in-
volved in this international cooperation and exchange be-
tween China and bamboo-growing countries [27]. Following
18 International Journal of Forestry Research

this cooperation, several African nations have participated
on short-term and long-term training and awareness raising
opportunity on bamboo propagation, cultivation, and
bamboo management. In relation to this, developing na-
tional bamboo policy in Kenya [58], national bamboo
strategy and action plan in Ethiopia [51] and Uganda [59], as
well as bamboo policy integration analysis in Ghana [60] are
typical actions of bamboo development, promotion, and
commercialization in the African region. In the same way,
resource base inventory, introduction of new species from
bamboo potential regions, propagation, cultivation, man-
agement, and sustainable utilization of bamboo resource in
the African region become more strengthened. In relation
with better awareness raising on bamboo development and
promotion, some bamboo processing enterprises, cooper-
atives, and private industries and factories are emerged,
providing various bamboo end products to either local or
international markets. For instance, Bamboo Star Agro-
Forestry Company and other bamboo factories and enter-
prises in Ethiopia are recently emerged and established for
processing and producing bamboo endproducts either for
local or international markets. Some of these products are
production of toothpicks, chopsticks, and household fur-
niture (table, door, and chair). Bamboo culms for scaf-
folding, casting concrete flooring, building and construction
industry, pulp and paper production, laminated boards, and
timber production by replacing forest wood in Africa are still
new emerging experiences and skills. Furthermore, con-
sidering its immense socioeconomic, cultural, and ecological
significances, various mega research projects have been
initiated and implemented by some African countries.
Among these, research projects on bamboo propagation,
cultivation, management, and sustainable utilization as well
as mass flowering and death of indigenous bamboo species
in Ethiopia have been initiated and implemented formerly
by the Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research (EIAR)
and recently succeeded by Ethiopian Environment and
Forest Research Institute (EEFRI) as typical model examples.
In line with this, 25 bamboo species are introduced from
different countries [15], and species adaptation trail has been
conducted at different agroecologies [61, 62]. ese species
are Dendrocalamus asper, D. hamiltonii, D. membranaceus,
Bambusa vulgaris var. green, B. vulgaris var. vittata, and
Bambusa balcooa [61]. Of these, D. hamiltonii,
D. membranaceus [61, 62], D. asper, and Bambusa vulgaris
var. green [37] are the best adapted species at field. Similarly,
related bamboo research studies are carried out by different
researchers and professionals on indigenous and/or intro-
duced bamboo species. Some of these are bamboo resource
base assessment [35], seed propagation [40, 44–47], seedling
performance [44–46, 63], utilization and management
[37, 61, 64–66], vegetative propagation [41, 48, 67, 68],
nutritional contents of shoots [55], and their physico-
chemical features [69, 70] of O. alpina and/or O. abyssinica
edible shoots. Other research outputs include suitability of
bamboo species for construction [50, 71–73], paper and
panel boards [73, 74], furniture [39, 42, 70–74], and
handcrafts [39, 42, 73, 74], industries, chemical and
biochemical industries [75], as well as bioenergy production
(charcoal and briquette) and durability of bamboo culms
against biodegradable agents and its control measures
[76, 77]. Moreover, comprehensive socioeconomic assess
mentions indigenous bamboo species [52, 54, 78–91], and
multiplication, prescaling up, and promotion of successfully
adapted introduced bamboo species (e.g., Dendrocalamus
hamiltonii) [61] are further achievements of bamboo re-
search in Ethiopia. On the other hand, similar or related
bamboo research studies have been conducted in different
African countries at different times by different profes-
sionals. Some of these are Benin [92], Cameroon [23], Ghana
[26, 93–97], Kenya [21, 24, 28, 29, 35], Nigeria [98–102],
Malawi [31], Tanzania [103], Togo [33], and Uganda
[35, 104, 105].
8. Conclusion and Recommendations
Our extensive literature review clearly showed that the
African region has untapped bamboo resource potential
with immense socioeconomic, cultural, and ecological sig-
nificances. However, this resource is depleted as a faster
rate associated with human-induced and natural factors.
In addition, there are no reliable and accurate resource
base data due to the lack of well-defined definition and
comprehensive resource base inventory in the region.
Hence, the information is inaccessible, fragmented, in-
consistent, and even contradictory. erefore, compre-
hensive research and accurate baseline information on
bamboo resource is still required as a foundation for policy
and management decisions. Similarly, most of the bamboo
resource in the region is either public or state property, so
that special focus and appropriate management inter-
vention are not practiced. Hence, the ownership right on
bamboo resource and associated land is also clearly
specified and certified. At the same time, various silvi-
cultural applications such as propagation, stand density
management, fertilizer application, research on mass
flowering and death of bamboo and its longer flowering
cycle, and preharvesting and postharvesting technologies
should be implemented for higher bamboo end products
(timber, bioenergy, and edible shoot). Similarly, genetic
resource conservation of bamboo species through ex situ
conservation (e.g., seed storage in cold room at +5 C) and
in situ conservation (establishing bamboo botanic garden
at field) is also practiced despite the little effort. In line with
this, establishing bamboo research institutions and
stakeholders, community-based bamboo cooperatives and
enterprisers, bamboo industries and factories, as well as
small-scale and large-scale bamboo investors/farmers in
plantation development should be further strengthened on
bamboo resource development and promotion in the
region.
Conflicts of Interest
e authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest.
International Journal of Forestry Research 19

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