Three woody bamboo species collected in Hainan, China in 1940 have been described as based on vegetative specimens. However, the identity of these species has long been in doubt, largely because the vegetative phase in species of is morphologically similar to that in species of , a climbing or scrambling bamboo genus of the paleotropical woody bamboos (Poaceae: Bambusoideae) that consists of about 15 species and one variety. To determine the phylogenetic affinity of the three species from Hainan, we sampled almost all recognized Chinese species of and representative species of as well as other closely related genera, performed molecular phylogenetic analysis, and compared their morphology based on herbarium and fieldwork investigation. Our ddRAD data indicate that the three species from Hainan are closely related to , not . Morphological analysis showed that these three species have a climbing habit but do not grow spirally, their culm leaves have smooth bases, and there is a ring of powder and/or tomenta above and below the nodes. Taken together our findings indicate that the three species from Hainan originally published in should be transferred to , i.e., (McClure) D.Z. Li & J.X. Liu, (McClure) D.Z. Li & J.X. Liu, and (McClure) D.Z. Li & J.X. Liu, respectively. This study concludes with an enumeration of Chinese species of , with a key to nine recognized species and one variety, and a lectotypification for .
