Often misidentified as Bambusa nutans subsp. cupulata (B. teres in this account), B. tulda is distinguished by its smaller, more erect auricles, brown rather than black culm sheath hairs, persistent, uncupped culm sheath blade, and shorter, thicker walled culms with stripes on the basal internodes. It was treated as B. nutans Munro in FRPS (9(1): 78. 1996).