Indochinese bamboos: biodiversity informatics to assist the identification of “vernacular taxa”

Abstract

Bamboo (Bambusoides – Gramineae) is one of the most important natural resource in Southeast Asia. However, bamboo identification has many difficulties. In the area of SEP programme «Indochina Bamboos» (2008-2010), the final objective is to update the bamboo flora of Indochine (Vietnam, Laos, Cambodege) and to publish an e-flora including free access keys, digital images and information about the traditional and economic use of bamboos. During field trips in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodgia, samples, pictures and morphological description sheets were collected in various locations and previously assigned to the local vernacular names. We use an informatic program, Xper2, to assist the comparison and identification of “vernacular bamboo taxa” based on morphological characteristics.