Chusquea culeou (Spanish: caña coligüe or colihue) is a gramineae perennial bush of the bamboo subfamilly that grows in the humid temperate forests of Chile and southwestern Argentina.
Its hairy lanceolate leaves have a spine on their end, and its flower is a whisk of light brown colour. The plant also produces a caryopsis fruit. After blooming and releasing its seeds, the plant dies. The cane is straight, of up to 6 metres in height, and was used by the Aboriginals for the pole of their spears. They are still used by the Mapuche people for a musical instrument known as trutruca.
A particularity of this Chusquea is that its wood is solid, differentiating from most of the bamboosoids, with hollow interiors.
Its hairy lanceolate leaves have a spine on their end, and its flower is a whisk of light brown colour. The plant also produces a caryopsis fruit. After blooming and releasing its seeds, the plant dies. The cane is straight, of up to 6 metres in height, and was used by the Aboriginals for the pole of their spears. They are still used by the Mapuche people for a musical instrument known as trutruca.
A particularity of this Chusquea is that its wood is solid, differentiating from most of the bamboosoids, with hollow interiors.
Summer 2010-2011, the cane is blooming after 70 years, no one knows exactly what triggers this event, it will take aproximately 10 years for the new plants to grow.
A similar event occured in 2001 when the cane bloomed in the Lanin National Park, on a surface of about 200.000 Ha.. This time it is taking place in the Nahuel Huapi National Park on a surface of around 80.000 Ha. Authorities are working to minimize the consequences some of which are: very serious danger of forest fires because of the dead plants, an unusual growth of rodent population due to an incredible amount of cane seeds
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