Format: ORAL

Watchara Arthan1, 2, Atchara Teerawatananon1, 3, Sarawood Sungkaew1, 4

1 Center of Excellence for Bamboos, Kasetsart University, Bangkok 10900, Thailand 2 Department of Pharmaceutical Botany, Faculty of Pharmacy, Mahidol University, 447 Si Ayutthaya Rd., Ratchathewi, Bangkok 10400, Thailand 3 Natural History Museum, National Science Museum, Technopolis, Pathum Thani 12120, Thailand 4 Department of Forest Biology, Faculty of Forestry, Kasetsart University, Bangkok 10900, Thailand

Biased documentations of bamboo diversity are observed in species-rich Indochina region towards a few countries. Thailand is situated at the center of the region and shares floristic regions with neighboring countries China, Myanmar, and Malaysia and cover varieties of habitats favoring different bamboo species. However,robust and up-to-date references of bamboos from Thailand are absent. Approximately 100 bamboo species are enumerated by global databases. However, the number still reflects the underestimation of Thai bamboo species since discovery of new species and genera and species records points out unrecognized wild bamboos and long-utilized species by the locals. More than two decades of extensive fieldwork and specimen examinations proved unexpected high diversity of Thai bamboos, which not only encompass morphological diversity but also delivers biogeographic and evolutionary meanings. The majority of tropical woody genera belong to the evolutionary complex clade of Bambusa, Dendrocalamus, and Gigantochloa (BDG clade) in which multiple cases and observations of natural hybridization, such as a hybrid species xThyrsocalamus liang and suspected Dendrocalamus hybrid contribute to the overall diversity.Schizostachyum exemplifies gaps in diversity knowledge that the recorded number of its species is underrepresented. Minor and other endemic genera such as temperate genus Chimonocalamus and tropical genera Holttumochloa, Maclurochloa, Phuphanochloa, and Temochloa areaccounted for diversityand new unknown genera represent rare morphological characters distinct from other genera and require further data to delimit the genus. For the first time, we represent a compilation of bamboo diversity in Thailand in taxonomic and diversity perspectives.Morphological comparison and relationships of bamboos are discussed.We proposed future directions in studying evolution and ecology of bamboos in Thailand as foundation knowledge andhow biodiversity knowledge of Thai bamboos can drive nationalBio-Circular-Green economicmodel and SustainableDevelopment Goals(SDGs) inthe global context.