Scientific Name :Yushania alpina =Arundinaria alpina = syn:Sinarundinaria alpina
Vernacular Name :Umugano
Family name :Umugano
Geographic Distribution :Mountain and volcanoes, 2500-3300 m
Botanical Description
Yushania alpine or African alpina bamboo is a perennial bamboo of the family Poaceae and the genus Yushania. It can be found growing in dense but not large stands on the mountain and volcanoes between the altitude 2500 -3300 m above sea level.
Stems can reach 2-20 m tall and 5-12.5 cm in diameter. The culms that can be 20 m high grown from a short rhizome that is up to 10 cm thick. The culwms are yellowish at maturity, hollow, thich-walled, many nodes and profusely branched. Culm sheaths are hairess or with red bristles. Leaf blades are deciduous at the ligule; blades 5-20 cm long. The flowers are branched in cluster of flowers in solitary spikes, which can be dense or loose of 5-15 cm long.
Medicinal Use
In northern Rwannda, people use the leaves to treat infected
Wounds. Extracts from pounded leaves are combined with other plants extracts and used to treat vaginal infections, confirmed Abdalahman, a tradipractician in Kigali.
Other Use
Stems are used in fencing, plumbing, and in other building materials.