On the fine structure of bamboo fibres

The thick-walled bamboo fibres exhibit a polylamellate structure with alternating broad and narrow lamellae. Characteristically the cellulose fibrils in the broad lamellae are oriented almost parallel to the longitudinal axis of the fibre (2–20°), whereby there is a gradual but only slight increase in the angle from middle lamella to lumen. The narrow lamellae consist of fibrils oriented almost perpendicular to the cell axis (85–90°); this angle remains constant in all the successive narrow lamellae. The concentration of lignin is higher in the narrow lamellae than in the broad ones. Xylan seems to occur in a higher concentration in the narrow lamellae. The pits between the fibres are bordered. The results are discussed in relation to earlier data on wall structure and development. A model for the thick-walled bamboo fibre is presented with a new terminology for the various lamellae.