Background: The Neotropical woody bamboos (NWB) comprise a clade native to the Western Hemisphere. Taxonomically the NWB are classified into three subtribes: Arthrostylidiinae, Chusqueinae, and Guaduinae. These woody bamboos are distributed from northern Mexico and the West Indies to south-central Chile and Argentina and from sea level to over 4,000 m in elevation. The most recent comprehensive treatment of the diversity and classification of NWB was published just over 20 years ago, and knowledge of the NWB has greatly increased in the interim. Questions and / or Hypotheses: How much has our knowledge of Neotropical woody bamboo diversity, distribution and classification changed in the last 20 years? Results: The present work reviews the current state of Neotropical woody bamboo taxonomy and provides 1) new morphological keys (in English and Spanish) to and synoptic descriptions of the NWB genera; 2) an updated comprehensive species list; and 3) a biodiversity analysis by country and habitat type. Neotropical woody bamboo diversity presently totals 446 species in 23 genera. In the 21st century, 103 new species and five genera of NWB have been described. Conclusions: The new species and genera described since 2000 have produced an increase in species richness of 29.5 % and a net increase in generic richness of 26.3 %. This new review will be useful for systematists, ecologists, conservation biologists and others working with woody bamboos in the Neotropics.

The diversity of the grass subfamily Bambusoideae native to Mexico is represented by two tribes, the tropical woody bamboos (Bambuseae) with three subtribes, Arthrostylidiinae, Chusqueinae and Guaduinae, and the herbaceous bamboos (Olyreae) with the single subtribe Olyrinae. In addition, Bambusa oldhamii, B. vulgaris, Phyllostachys aurea, P. bambusoides and Guadua angustifolia are cultivated in Mexico. The aim of this study is to provide morphological keys to the genera and species of the native and the most common cultivated bamboos in Mexico. In total, Mexico has 54 native, four herbaceous and 50 woody, species of bamboos. With the exception of a few states (Aguascalientes, Baja California, Baja California Sur, Coahuila and Tlaxcala), each of the remaining states has at least one bamboo species. Mexican bamboos are found from sea level to 3000 m in different types of vegetation including tropical dry forest, tropical subdeciduous forest, rain forest, cloud forest, pine-oak forest, pine-fir forest and xerophytic scrub. Herbaceous bamboos are represented by three genera: Cryptochloa, Lithachne and Olyra, whereas woody bamboos are represented by eight genera: Aulonemia, Arthrostylidium, Chusquea, Guadua, Merostachys, Olmeca, Otatea and Rhipidocladum. Thirty-one of the 54 bamboos are endemic to Mexico, and Chiapas, with 33 species, is the state with the highest bamboo diversity, followed by Veracruz with 25 and Oaxaca with 20. Chusquea is the most diverse genus with 21 species, followed by Otatea with ten and Guadua with seven. Twenty-seven of the 54 bamboo species deserve to be included in the Norma Oficial Mexicana (NOM-059-SEMARNAT-2010), and in the Red List of the International Union of Conservation of Nature to promote their conservation.

Abstract— The Neotropical woody bamboo genus Chusquea consists of 193 currently described species ranging from central Mexico and the Caribbean to Chile and Argentina, primarily in montane habitats. The six previously described species of Chusquea subg. Chusquea sect. Serpentes are scandent in habit, with infravaginal branching, few subsidiary buds per complement, and foliage leaves that tend to be relatively large compared to those of other members of Chusquea s.s. A review of available material of Chusquea sect. Serpentes, found throughout montane forests from Mexico south to the central Andes in Peru, revealed at least two undescribed species. One of the new species, Chusquea recurvata, is native to Venezuelan montane forests and is distinguished from Chusquea serpens by having circular central buds, asymmetrical, acute inner foliage leaf ligules, and 6‐12 foliage leaves per complement. The other new species, Chusquea acutigluma, has been found only in and around the Risaralda gorge in Colombia, and differs from all other known South American species of Chusquea sect. Serpentes by its broadly open paniculate synflorescences. This paper includes (re-)descriptions of all known species of Chusquea sect. Serpentes, along with detailed photographs of the two newly described species, and a vegetative morphological key to the eight species belonging to the section. The morphology and foliage leaf micromorphology and anatomy of the two newly described species are compared to C. serpens, to which they show the greatest macromorphological similarity.

Metabolic alterations are increasingly recognized as important aspects of colorectal cancer (CRC), offering potential avenues for identifying therapeutic targets. Previous studies have demonstrated the cytotoxic potential of bamboo leaf extract obtained from Guadua incana (BLEGI) against HCT-116 colon cancer cells. However, the altered metabolic pathways in these tumor cells remain unknown. Therefore, this study aimed to employ an untargeted metabolomic approach to reveal the metabolic alterations of the endometabolome and exometabolome of HCT-116 cells upon exposure to BLEGI treatment. First, a chemical characterization of the BLEGI was conducted through liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (LC-MS). Next, we assessed cell viability via MTT and morphological analysis using an immunofluorescence assay against colon cancer cells, and anti-inflammatory activity using an LPS-stimulated macrophage model. Subsequently, we employed LC-MS and proton nuclear magnetic resonance (¹H-NMR) to investigate intra- and extracellular changes. Chemical characterization primarily revealed the presence of compounds with a flavone glycoside scaffold. Immunofluorescence analysis showed condensed chromatin and subsequent formation of apoptotic bodies, suggesting cell death by apoptosis. The results of the metabolomic analysis showed 98 differential metabolites, involved in glutathione, tricarboxylic acid cycle, and lipoic acid metabolism, among others. Additionally, BLEGI demonstrated significant nitric oxide (NO) inhibitory capacity in macrophage cells. This study enhances our understanding of BLEGI’s possible mechanism of action and provides fresh insights into therapeutic targets for treating this disease.

A new species of Guadua, Guadua bambuzoniae Londoño, is described from the Amazon region of Colombia, specifically in the tropical rainforest ecosystem. This species is unusual in that it grows in swampy areas and has several distinct characteristics that differentiate it from all other South American species of Guadua. These include erect and hollow culms at the base, as well as solid and arched culms at the middle and upper portions; primary branches that develop thorns at each culm node; usually a falcated, prominent and fimbriate auricle on the upper part of the culm sheath on one side; elongated and glabrous leaf sheaths; a usually straight, linear-lanceolate pseudospikelet; lemmas pubescent toward the margins with the margins densely ciliated, but otherwise glabrous, and a conspicuous and strong mucron; and paleas only slightly shorter than the lemmas, with broadly winged keels. Here, we provide a geographical distribution map, illustrations, photographs, and a morphological comparison with G. macrospiculata and G. uncinata.