OF THE GENUS PHYLLOSTACHYS

cultivation

United States

AGRICULTURE HANDBOOK NO. 114

I Southern Regional Research Lab.

R E C e I V K D

^ JAN 14 1958 i^

_£wa & OEVEL. DIV

/

PERMANENT FILE

ilETUBNTO

COST AMD oenan

U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

OF THE GENUS PHYLLOSTACHYS

under cultivation

in the United States

By F. A, McClure, Botanist

Horticultural Crops Research Branch

Agricultural Research Service

AGRICULTURE HANDBOOK NO. 114

U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Agricultural Research Service

Washington, D. C. Issued June 1957

For sole by the Superintendent of Documents, U. S. Government Printing Office

Washington 25, D. C. - Price 35 cents
CONTENTS

Page

Economic importance of bamboo *

Growth habit of bamboo *

Vegetative characteristics of the genus Phyilostachys 3

Introduction to the key 5

Key for field identification 7

Descriptions of species and cultivars 12

Literature cited 67

List of bamboos 68

By scientific name 68

By Plant Introduction No 68

Excepting figures 1 and 28, the line drawings were all mode by the author. To

keep them all as closely comparable as possible, each culm sheath illustrated was

taken from about the middle of a representative culm.

n
OF THE GENUS PHYLLOSTACHYS

under cultivation

in the United States

By F. A. McCLURE, bofanisi, Crops Research Division, Agricuituroi Research Service

This Handbook provides a key for

the field identification, without flowers

or fruits, of the 34 bamboos of the

genus Phyllostachys (24 species and

10 horticultural forms, herein designated as cultivars (cv.)) that have

been successfully introduced into the

United States. Another cultivar was

added after the key was completed.

These bamboos are all native to China.

A description of each entity, based on

the living plant, is provided for the

user's convenience in checking the

identifications he makes by means of

the key.

ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE OF BAMBOO

In China and Japan, and in other

parts of the Far East, an astonishing

number of objects and materials of

common daily use are fabricated entirely or in part from bamboo (8, 10)}

Indeed, bamboo occupies such an important place in the human economy

of some regions, particularly in southeastern Asia and adjacent islands, that

large sectors of the population would

be destitute without it. In vast areas,

bamboo is the one material that is sufficiently cheap, and adequate in supply,

to fill the tremendous need for economical housing (9).

On account of their obvious potential

value to agriculture and industry, and

their appeal as exotic garden ornamentals (72), the bamboos, particularly those belonging to the genus

Phyllostachys, have been the focus of

absorbing interest in the Ignited States

for many years. Although a number

of successful importations of living

plants had been achieved by private

initiative during the late eighteen

hundreds, the activities of the United

States Department of Agriculture in

the introduction of promising bamboos

began about 1900. The first bamboo

appeared in the Department's "Inven-

' Italic numbers in parentheses refer to

Literature Cited, p. 157.

tory of Plants Introduced" in 1899

under the P. I. No. 2903.-' Since that

time some 750 individual bamboo introductions have appeared in the

records. Of these, about 200 represent species of Phyllostachys.

The center of distribution of this

group of bamboos is in China, to which

country nearly all of the known species

are native.

In China bamboos of the genus

Phyllostachys have been for centuries

the principal source of paper pulp, a

major source of timber and handicraft

materials, and an important source of

that esteemed comestible, bamboo

shoots. In Japan bamboos of this

genus have supplied valuable items of

export in the form of fishing poles and

porch shades, commodities familiar

everywhere in this country. Also a

large array of materials, including

paper pulp, is important in the local

domestic trade. This is the more impressive when it is realized that, of

this numerous group of bamboos,

Japan has in general cultivation only

four species and their variants. In the

United States 24 species and 11 culti-

" P. I. refers to accession number of the

Plant Introduction Section as published in

the series of Plant Inventories of the

Department.
AGR. HANDBOOK 114, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

vars of Phyllostachys are now established, principally through the

activities of agricultural explorers of

the United States Department of

Agriculture.

Plants of a number of these species

have been distributed for trial in various parts of the United States. A

partial perspective on their future

place on the farm and in the land-use

patterns has been achieved, but the

task of exploring the potentialities of

this group of plants in the economy of

the United States, especially for paper

pulp and for use in watershed protection and erosion control, remains

largely untouched.

GROWTH HABIT OF BAMBOO

In a developing bamboo plant or

grove, the oldest culms are the smallest.

This paradox is caused by two characteristics of the growth habit. First,

the bamboo culm emerges from the

ground with the diameter that it will

always have, and it attains its full

height in a few short weeks. It never

increases in diameter or height after

the few weeks of growing, though it

may remain alive for many years. Second, the new culms produced each successive year emerge from the ground

with a greater diameter and reach a

greater height before they stop growing, because the plant has extended its

underground system of rhizomes and

roots during the intervening period.

This expansion increases the capacity

of the plant for drawing water and

raw materials from the soil and enables

it to store a greater amount of food.

The new culms ¡iroduced each year

are nourished during their development

principally by this stored food ( fig. 1 ).

Like most bamboos, those in the

genus Phyllostachys are evergreen.

However, they change their leaves completely every year. This occurs in the

spring, the old ones falling away as

the new ones develop. The process

is gradual and inconspicuous and

usually attracts attention only through

the appearance of a new carpet of gold

FIGURE 1.—A representative portion of a plant of Phyllostachys viridis (P. mitis A. & C. Riv.),

showing the horizontal indeterminate underground stem (rhizome) bearing leafy aerial

stems (culms) and young shoots. The direction of growth of the rhizome is right to left.

(Adapted from A. & C. Riviere, Les Bambous.)
BAMBOOS OF THE GENUS PHYLLOSTACHYS

and brown beneath the plant. The

leaf blades are cut off from their sheathing bases by a natural process of abscission, resulting from the formation

of a layer of corklike cells at the base

of the leafstalk. Replacements are

produced in advance of the fall of these

leaves, but on new twigs developed

from lower buds of the old ones. The

old twigs, released by abscission, fall

away in their turn, so that congestion

is avoided or greatly reduced.

The shape and dimensions of leaf

blades vary according to the position

of each on the twig, the lower ones being shorter and broader, the upper ones

progressively longer and narrower.

The leaf blades are edged with a cartilaginous border that is densely set with

sharp-pointed antrorse spinules along

one margin (the one that is outermost

when the leaf is still rolled up in the

bud) and more s|)arsely so or entirely

smooth on the other margin.

VEGETATIVE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE GENUS PHYLLOSTACHYS

Clump (individual plant) typically

thicketlike, actively spreading with an

o|)en ( sometimes more or less

crowded) arrangement of the culms;

rhizomes indeterminate (advancing indefinitely underground), slender, with

short, grooved internodes and more or

less swollen nodes, every node (except several at the very base of each

branch rhizome) bearing a bud and

a row of roots that emerge from the

ridge above the sheath scar; culms

erect or suberect. never climbing, arising from buds on the rhizome, more or

less distantly spaced ( since some of

the buds remain dormant ) ; internodes

of the culm usually hollow, cylindrical or nearly so above the lower nodes

when these have no buds, but marked

by a groove extending from the point

of origin of each bud or branch complement as far as the next node, usually showing a more or less copiously

farinose (white powdery) zone just below the sheath scar at each node; the

nodes (at least the branch- or budbearing ones) usually marked by a

distinct ridge encircling the culm just

above the sheath scar; culm sheaths

prom])tly deciduous; branch buds usually present at all of the nodes in small

culms, especially in young plants,

lacking at the lower nodes of culms

in mature plants, but always present at

all of the upper nodes, one to several

of the lowermost usually remaining

dormant, the rest developing very

promptly; branches often solitary at

one or two nodes in the lower part of

the series, otherwise typically two at

each node, the two usually more or

less strongly unequal, with a third very

much smaller, sometimes developing

between the two ( atypically and rarely, in exceptional culms, the branches

clearly ternate, with the strongest one

in the middle as occasionally observed

in /-". nigra and its forms) ; leaf blades

lanceolate to linear lanceolate, with tessellate venation ( transverse veinlets

clearly visible, at least on the lower

surface) usually glabrous on the upper

surface and usually distinctly paler,

often definitely glaucous on the lower

surface, with a patch of more or less

persistent silky antrorse hairs usually

visible on each side of the midrib at

the base.

The following combination of vegetative characters distinguishes bamboos of the genus Phyllostachys from

those of all other genera : Rhizomes

slender, wide-ranging, indeterminate,

bearing buds at all nodes beyond the

basal "neck" region; culm internodes

each roughly D-sha])ed in cross section

throughout its length when it stands

above a node bearing a fully developed

branch complement, roughly circular

in cross section above a node without

a bud or branch complement; culm

branches typically two at each node

(the two usually more or less strongly

unequal in size) with a third, usually

much smaller, sometimes developing

between the two (from the first node

of one of them) (fig. 2) ; leaf blades

with typical tessellate venation, i. e..
AGR. HANDBOOK 114, V. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

SHEATH SCAR -

Fir.iiRE 2.—A miilciilm node and adjacent portion of a culm of Phyllostachys elegans typifies

the genus in the following; respects: The l]ranch-l)earinp: nodes are marked by a prominent

ridge (sometimes referred to as a pulvinus) aliove the sheath scar; the internodes of the

culm are flattened by grooves above the point of insertion of each branch complement and

the branches are borne typically in 2's at each node, but sometimes a third branch develops

between the other two. (Based on a specimen from P. I. No. 128778.)
BAMBOOS OF THE GKNUS PHYLLOSTACHYS 5

with transverse veinlets, clearly visible, small right-angled quadrangles with

especially in transmitted light, forming the longitudinal veins or nerves.

INTRODUCTION TO THE KEY

As the number of kinds of bamboo

established in the United States has

grown, the problem of identifying them

and distinguishing them from each

other has become more critical. Bamboos present special difficulties in this

respect, because they so rarely bear

flowers, which are the traditional basis

for identification. Since the determination of the identity of a bamboo for

practical purposes cannot wait on the

ai^ifearance of flowers, it has been

necessary to use other means to this

end. The characters employed in the

following key and in the descriptions

of the individual kinds, therefore, are

based wholly on vegetative structures

and no reference has been made to

flowers.

This key is designed solely for the

identification in the field of relatively

mature living plants during spring,

when the young shoots are actively

growing. It cannot be relied upon to

identify small or immature plants

whose distinctive characteristics have

not as yet fully revealed themselves. It

will not be found useful in the field at

other times of the year than spring,

except for those bamboos whose culms

show distinctive structure or coloration, or characteristic pubescence. It

may, of course, be used in the herbarium to identify plants about which

the necessary information has been recorded or is revealed by preserved

specimens.

The characteristics most generally

useful in the identification of bamboo

species (once the genus is known I are

found in the culm sheaths that clothe

the young shoot. These characteristics reveal themselves most vividly

while the sheaths are in the fresh state.

As they dry, their delicate, often very

distinctive colors fade to light or dark

straw, though any spots of dark pigment usually persist. The tissues

shrink and sometimes become more or

less warped, and some of the delicate

parts, such as the auricles and the

ligule, become brittle and easily broken

when dry.

It is quite ])0ssible, even likely, thai

some of the bamboos this key was designed to identify may, upon further

development or when growing under

different conditions, show characteristics different in some respects from

those hitherto revealed. This could

result in a failure of the key to lead to

the right name for the bamboo in

question.

Depending upon local ecological

conditions, the period of shoot initiation in bamboos of the genus Phyllostachys generally begins in March or

April and extends until some time in

April or May. Variations in the pattern of temperature and precipitation

prevailing during this critical period

may cause more or less marked fluctuations in the onset and duration of the

period of shoot initiation. P. arcana,

P. bissetii, P. dulcís, P. elegans, P.

nuda, and P. viridi-^laucesccns are

among the earliest, and the others follow in a sequence that is fairly consistent though not invariable. The

earliest species may have all their shoots

of the current year fully grown in

height with their culm sheaths all

fallen away before the latest kinds,

P. bambusoides and P. viridis, have

started to send up their shoots (fig. 3 ).

In cases where a slight variation in

the expression of an obscure character

might otherwise cause the user to arrive at a wrong name for his plant, a

given bamboo may appear in the key

more than once.

The following key and descriptions

are based on living plants growing at

the United States Barbour Lathrop

Plant Introduction Garden at Savannah. Ga.. hereinafter referred to as

the Garden.
6 AGR. HANDBOOK 11-1, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

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1''ICURE 3.—Young shoots of 17 Ijamboos of the genus Phyllostuchys assemhled for comparison. The scale is a meter. Left to right: P. prupinqiia (P. I. No. 76649) ; P. nigra (P. I.

No. 49505) ; P. angusta (P. I. No. 23237) ; P. fle.xuosa (P. I. No. 116965) ; P. rubromarginata

(P. I. No. 66902) ; P. glauca (P. I. 77011) ; P. aurea (P. 1. No. 75153) ; P. bambasoides

(P. I. No. 40842, small shoot) ; P. nidularia (P. I. No. 6.3696) ; P. purpúrala cv. Straisrhtstem

(P. I. No. 77001 ) : /'. weyeri (P. I. No. 11676«) : P. bamhusoides cv. Castillon (P. I. No.

42659) : P. viridis (P. I. No. 77257) ; /". congvstu (P. 1. No. 80149) : P. nigra cv. Henon

( P. I. No. 24761 ) ; / ". bambusoides ( P. I. No. 40842) ; P. vivax (P. I. No. 82047) ; P. pubescens (P. I. No. 80034).
BAMBOOS OF THE GENUS PHYLLOSTACHYS 7

KEY FOR FIELD IDENTIFICATION

(For list; ill Spriiij; Only)

la. Culms showing distinclive persistriil color markings al sliealli-fall or within ihe first

year.

2a. Internodes of culms showing yellow or yellowish-green ground color at sheathfall.

3a. Ground color of culm internodes bright yellow; a few leaves showing

cream stripes.

4a. Internodes showing the groove as a broad, green panel; additional

green stripes of varying width appearing outside the groove.

P. bambusoUles cv. CASTILI^ON.

4b. Internodes yellow, the groove not green, but very rarely a lower

internode in an occasional culm showing a thin green stripe.

P. bambusoides cv. ALLGOLO.

3b. Ground color of culm internodes sulfur-green, with a broken band of

darker green below each node at sheath-fall, and an occasional, more

or less persistent dark-green stripe on lower internodes; nodal ridge

obsolete (hardly visible) in unbranched nodes; internodes showing

characteristic pigskinlike surface under 9 X lens, or to a sensitive

touch P, virifiis cv. ROBERT YOUNG.

2b. Tnlernodes of culms showing green ground color at sheath-fall.

5a. Internodes of the culm gradually becoming speckled or spotted with

rusty brown, sooty, or brownish or purplish black.

6a. Culms becoming speckled then mottled, and eventually (within I

to 3 years) more or less completely covered with brownish or

purplish-black spots P. nigra (typical form).

6b. Culms becoming sparsely to densely strewn, principally on the

lower internodes, with rusty-brown or sooty spots.

7a. Nodal ridge obsolete at unbranched nodes; culms rarely erect;

spots on internodes rusty brown and very small at first,

developing first where full sunlight strikes the culm.^

8a. Culm internodes velvety pubescent at sheath-fall; the

shealhs very hairy on the back P. pubescens.

8b. Culm internodes and sheaths without hairs at sheath-fall.

P. viridis (typical form).

7b. Nodal ridge more or less prominent at unbranched nodes;

culms usually erect or nearly so.

9a. Cidm sheaths without spots, the blade broadly to narrowly triangular, trough-shaped, wavy, the spots on

the culms few, large, irregularly shaped, sooty to rusty

brown P. nigra cv. HoRY.

9b. Culm sheaths spotted, the blade strap-shaped, not

trough-shaped.

10a. Auricles present; sheath blades crinkled; spots on

internodes rusty brown and very small, developing first where full sunlight strikes the culms.

P. elegans.

10b. Auricles not present; sheath blades not crinkled.

11a. Ligule truncate, fringed with red bristles;

spots on internodes mostly circular or

roundish, sooty, developing without respect

to direct sunlight, appearing principally just

above the lower nodes soon after sheath-fall.

P. makinoi.

lib. Ligule convex, not fringed with red bristles;

spots on internodes irregular in shape, black,

developing only under relatively intense

illumination, not aggregated in relation to

the nodes P. arcana

1 Not to be confused with the type of spoiling that characterizes P. nigra and its cultivar

BORY, though some culms of juvenile plants of P. viridis show apparently that type of

spotting.

4Í47G0''—57 2
s AGR. HANDBOOK 114, U. S. DKPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

5b. Inlernodcs of ihe oiiliii not becoming speckled or spoiled.

12a. Cnbn inlernodcs sbowing al sheatb-fall a soinewhal obscure but

dislinclive yellow-green or greenish-yellf)w color on ibe groove;

surface of inlernode scabrous to loucb (nnder 9 X lens sirewn

willi minute, stiff while liairs), iheinlernodesnol distinctly ribbed,

cidms erect bnl an occasional one having one more or less strongly

geniculate node, making a definite angle between adjacent internodes usually near the ground (sometimes several feet up); young

shoots not strongly phololropic P. aureosulcatn.

]2b. Culm inlernodes nol showing a distinctive yellow green or greenish

yellow on the groove, but ihose in lower part of some cidms showing vertical slripes of cream or pale green; ^ surface of internodes

glabrous, smooth to touch.

13a. Inlernodes noticeably lo strongly ribbed-stria le, lower ones in

some culms showing cream or pale-green slripes (striped

culms bearing some cream-striped leaves); culms rarely erect,

usually more or less curved, the young shoots strongly photolropic P. diilcis.

13b. Inlernodes nol noticeably ribbed-striate, lower ones in cidms

1 inch or more in diameter may show cream pin stripes;

culms usually erect or nearly so except at edges of the grove,

the young shoots mildly jiholotropic P. angusta.

lb. riulms green or, in some species, showing al sheath-fall a more or less marked tem-

]H»rary suffusion of wine al and below the nodes.

I la. Culm sliealhs marked by dots t)r slipjtles or round sj)ots of sooty or somelimes

bri)wnish hue, few, small, anil widely scattered lo many, large, and contiguous or overlap(»ing.

I.Sa. Auricles normally present on sheaths of culms of mature stature; cidm

sheaths glabrous or pubescent on the back.

ir>a. JNodal ridge obsolete (hardly visible) al unbranched nodes; cidms

rarely erect, young shoots strongly phototropic.

17a. Culm internodes velvety pubescent al sheath-fall; the culm

sheaths very hairy on the back P. pubescens.

17b. Culm internodes and sheaths without hairs. P. firirfis (typical form).

16b. Nodal ridge more or less prominent at unbranched nodes; culm internodes without hairs.

18a. Culm inlernodes noticeably to strongly ribbed-striate, relatively short, usually more or less conspicuously coated with

white powder; culm sheaths often showing a few inconspicuous hairs on the back; sheath blades strongly crinkled;

ligules strongly convex at the apex.

19a. Ligule of culm sheaths strongly decurrent, not conspicuously fringed wilh hairs on the margin; ground color

of culm sheaths very pale; shoots strongly phototropic.

P. dulcís,

191>. Ligule of cidm sheaths not strongly decurrent, conspicuously fringed with hairs on the margin; ground color

of culm sheaths more or less tawny; the culms not

strongly curved; shoots not strongly phototropic.

P. elegnnx.

18b. Culm internodes not noticeably ribbed-striate; the sheaths

often sparsely hairy on ihe back.

20a. Internodes and culm sheaths showing more or less abundant, rather loose, floccose white powder at sheathfall; ihe sheaths gradually tapered toward the narrow

apex; the ligule usually very tall. ..P. viridi-glaucescens.

20b. Internodes and culm sheaths showing no while powder

at sheath-fall; the sheaths rather broadly rounded

toward the blunt apex; the ligule nol very tall.

21a. Culms not normally showing marked deviations in

the direction of growth. P. bambusoides (typical form).

21b. Culms showing a high incidence of marked sinuous

deviation of the order of an inch or more in the

course of their growth, usually within 1 to 3 feet

of the base.

2 Dark-green stripes occur occasionally on the lower inlernodes of P. flexuosa, P. glniira,

and P. viridi-glaiict'sccnx, but so rarely and so inconspicuously (usually a single stripe on a

single inlernode) that this weak character is not used in this key.
BAMBOOS or THE GENUS PHYLLOSTACHYS 9

22a. Culms ofleii more slender (iiilcrnodes oflen

more elongate in {iroporlion lo diameter

than in ihe lypical form i>f P. hambusoides)

and not becominj^ consincuously wliite in

age. P. bambusoidcs vv. SLEPJDKK CROOKSTEM.

22b. Culms showing aboiil ihe same pn)porti<>nfl

as those of the typical form aí P. bambusoidcs and becoming i'onspieuously wliite

with a waxlike covering in age.

P. hambusoides cv. WHITE CROOKSTEM.

15b. Aiiririrs normally larking on culm sheaths (rudiments do not appear);

shealh blades strap-shaped, more or less strongly si)reading away from

the culm, not Irough-shajied, culm sheath without hairs on the back.

23a. Ligule of culm sheaths weakly developed in height (not exserled),

the margin (except in the lower sheaths) usually fringed with

coarse, pale-green bristles; some culms in every clumji showing

one to several strongly shortened (abortive) often more or less

ventricose internodes; sheath scars and the basal edge of the culm

sheaths fringed with minute white hairs P. aarca.

23b. Ligule of culm sheaths more strongly developed in relative height

(more or less noticeably exserted); culms not showing shortened

(abortive) internodes as in P. aurea.

24a. Cidm internodes strongly ribbed-slriate, noticeably shrunken

immediately below the sheath scar in culms from plants of

mature stature; culms perceptibly (but usually inconspicuously) sinuous from asymetrical development of the internodes; shoots not at all phototropic, the culms strictly upright, even at the edge of the clump, very white with waxlike coating in age P. vivax.

24b. Culm internodes not strongly ribbed-slriale, not shrunken

immediately below the sheath scar.

25a. Ligule aj)ex typically convex.

26a. Sheath scars and basal edge of culm sheaths fringed

with minute white hairs; ligule apex with a hump

in the middle P. nieyvri.

26b. Sheath scars and basal edge of culm shealhs not

fringed with hairs.

27a. Culm shealh ligule relatively short, not at all

decurrenl, with a hump in the middle of the

rctunded apex; internodes of the culm showing very incons])icnous deposit of white

powder at sheath-fall; culm sheaths always

smooth to touch, the veins not strongly

salient in fresh ones P. pn>piin¡u<t.

27b. Culm sheath ligule relatively tall, strongly

decurrent, convex at the apex; internodes

of the culm showing conspicuous deposit of

loose white powder at sheath-fall; culm

shealhs often scabrous to touch, the veins

strongly salient in the fresh ones. . . . P. anaini.

25b. Ligide ajtex typically truncate (convex in an occasional

sheath in /'. anfrusta).

28a. Surface of culm internodes showing pigskin effect,

especially just below unbran<'hed nf>des; ligule of

culm shealhs prominently fringed with bristles,

these red when fresh /'. niakimd.

2Hh. Surface of culm internodes not showing ]>igskin

effect; ligule of cidni shealhs not fringed with red

bristles.

29a. Internodes and culm sheaths almost or entirely

without white powder at sheath-fall; cuhn

sheaths very pale, slriate with cream and

pale lavender when fresh, the ligule tall,

prominently fringed with pale bristles.

P. augusta.

29b. Internodes and culm sheaths showing a more

or less conspicuous deposit of white powder

at sheath-fall; culm shealhs without color

strialion.
10 AGR. HANDBOOK 114, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

30a. Powder on culm internodes and sheaths

loose, more or less floccose; veins

strongly salient in fresh culm sheaths;

the lower sheaths oflen scabrous to

touch and stained with irregular dark

areas, ihe sheaths very sparsely sirewn

with small, well-defined sooty dots.

P. nuda.

3()b. Powder on culm inlernodes and sheaths

evenly dislributed, not loose or floccose; veins only moderately salient in

fresh culm sheaths, the shealhs never

scabrous to touch, the lower sheaths

strongly spotted, not showing irregular

purple stains as in P. nuda; the sheaths

when fresh showing a green-and-buff

ground color suffused with rose or

wine, along the veins.

31a. Culm internodes completely and

evenly covered w^ilh a conspicuous layer of white powder imparting a distinctive blue-green

or glaucous overall color to the

culms at sheath-fall; the sheath

blade relatively short and broad,

suddenly narrowed (abruptly

acute) at the apex; the ligule

deeply tinted with wine.... P. glauca.

31b. Culm internodes incompletely covered (upper half only) with a

thin layer of white powder at

sheath-fall, the sheath blade

narrower and more narrowly

acute at the apex; the ligule not

deeply tinted with wine.

P. flexuosa.

14b. Culm shealhs not at all marked by dots or stipples or spots.

32a. Cidm internodes without hairs or nearly so.

33a. Auricles lacking entirely on culm sheaths; ligule very short.

34a. Sheath blade narrowly triangular to strap-shaped, not wavy,

not closely ap])ressed to the culm; the ligule straight or

slightly concave at the apex (not strongly concave in upper

culm sheaths), the margin fringed with minute white hairs

and backed by coarse, dark-red bristles originating on the

adaxial surface (these oflen lost on drying); lower culm

sheaths edged with red at the apex when fresh; internodes

very rarely (in large culms only) showing a few, widely

scattered, scarcely perceptible hairs; the green color of the

culm almost completely obscured in age by a white, waxlike

deposit; culms gently tapered, somewhat willowy.

P. ruhromarginata.

34b. Sheath blade broadly to narrowly triangular and troughshaped above, wavy, closely appressed to the culm; the

ligule straight to slightly convex at the a[)ex (very strongly

concave in upper culm sheaths), the margin fringed with

minute white hairs only; the lower sheaths not edged with

red at the apex when fresh; internodes (exce|>ting the lowest

2 or 3) entirely without hairs; the culms thick at the base

and rather strongly tapered, stiffly upright P. congesta.

33b. Auricles normally present on culm sheaths (often very^ rudimentary

in P. purpúrala and its forms, and normally obsolescent or lacking

entirely in P. amgesta).

35a. Culm sheath auricles very small; sheath blade triangular,

strongly trough-shaped, more or less wavy, appressed to the

culm; the sheath never striped with white.

36a. Culms noticeably thicker at the base, rather strongly

tapered and stiffly upright P. congesta.
BAMBOOS OF THE CKNUS PHYLLOSTACTIYS 11

36b. Culms not nolioeably lliicker at the base, very gently

tapered, often relatively weak and more or less willowy.

37a. Internodes hollow ibroughoul the culm.

38a. Culms strongly zigzag thrf)uglioul.

F. purpurata (tyj*ical form).

38b. Cidms strongly zigzag only in the l)ranched

part P. purpurata cv. STRAi(;ifTSTE!vi.

37b. Internodes not hollow in the lower one-third lo

two-lhirds of the rulm. . I*, purpurata cv. Soi,ii>STK>l.

35b. Culm sheath auricles large, clasping the culm; the sheaths at

lower nodes of the culm nn»re or less conspicuously striped

with while and green and sometimes suffused with wine.

39a. Culm sheaths and the sheath scars shaggy hirsute with

retrorse brown hairs F. nidularia (typical form)-

39b. Culm sheaths and the siieath scars entirely without hairs.

P. nidularia cv. SMOOTHSUEATIí.

32b. Cidm internodes usually (except in very small culms) more or less thickly

lo thinly strewn with small, erect while hairs perceptible to touch.

40a. Culm shealhs hairy, ruddy buff throughout; the sheath scar fringed

with brown hairs at shealh-fall; the shealh blade broadly lo

narrowly triangular, trough-shaped, wavy, appressed to the

culm; auricles prominently developed, fringed with numerous

bristles P, nigra cv. llerNON.

40b. Culm shealhs without hairs, or in very vigorous large culms ihe

lower shealhs sometimes somewhat hairy, the sheath scar glabrous.

41a. Shealh blade lance-shaped to strap-shaped, more or less

strongly spreading away from the culm; ligide of culm

sheaths inmcale (straight or only slightly convex at the

apex), short but well exserled at the sides of the base of the

shealh blade; the auricles long and falcate (obsolete on some

shealhs) with few bristles; ihe lower culm shealhs 4>flen

striped with greenish cream or white on the back and edged

with red at the apex w hen fresh P. decora.

41b. Sheath blade narrowly triangular.

42a. Culm sheath blade appressed lo the culm (not spreading

or reflexed); auricles weakly developed (sometimes

nearly obsolete), dark red, attached to the base of the

blade; oral setae sometimes strongly developed and

erect, not spreading; lower culm sheaths not striped

with white, and not edged with red at the apex when

fresh.

43a. Internodes hollow throughonl the culm.

44a. Culms strongly zigzag ihroughont.

P. purpurata (typical form).

44b. Culms strongly zigzag only in the branched

part /*. purpurata cv. STRAH'.HTSTEM.

43b. Internodes not hollow in the lower one-third to

two-thirds of the culm.. , P. purpurata cv. SOLIDSTEM.

42b. Cidm sheath blade spreading away from the culm, rarely

more or less reflexed.

45a. Lower sheaths more or less distinctly striped with

while and lavender (showing residual striping

when dry); auricles typically ovate to broadly

falcate; ajjex of ligide strongly convex; pubescence of internodes dense, retrorse, readily perceptible to touch; culms frequently showing one

or more strongly genicnlale nodes near the base.

P. aureosulcata.

45b. Lower sheaths not striped with white (sometimes

faintly striped with wine, bul not showing residual

striping when dry); auricles typically narrow,

falcate (or ovate), obsolete on some sheaths;

apex of ligule weakly convex; pubescence on internodes very sparse, barely perceptible on lower

internodes only; culms rarely showing strongly

geniculate nodes P. hissetii.
12 AGR. HANDBOOK 114, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

DESCRIPTIONS OF SPECIES AND CULTIVARS

Phyllostachys angusta M c C 1 u r e ,

Wash. Acad. Sei. Jour. 35: 278.

1945.

(Figs. 4 and 5.)

Culms up to 21 ft. 8 in. tall and l^e

in. in diameter at the base, fairly

straight, erect or nearly so except

where exposed during growth to more

light on one side; internodes (No. 1

( at base ) : 3 in. long ; No. 5: 7 in. long ;

No. 11—the longest in a culm 21 ft.

8 in. long, with 47 internodes—10%

in. long) green or very rarely with a

few cream pin stripes on the lower

internodes of large culms, grayish in

age, entirely glabrous, very weakly

glaucous at sheath-fall, especially just

FIGURE 4.—Phyllostachys angusta (P. I. No.

23237) : Culm and young shoots from near

Kensington, Md.

FIGURE 5.—Phyllostachys angusta ( P. I. No.

23237: Inner (left) and outer (right)

aspects of the apex of the culm sheath,

showing sheath blade and fringed ligule.

below the nodes, usually not noticeably ribbed-striate; nodal ridges

scarcely more prominent than the

sheath scars; sheath scars glabrous,'

thin, only moderately flared; culm

sheaths very pale in color, often appearing almost white at a distance, the

ground color cream (turning to pale

beige on drying), the veins outlined

in pale lavender (vertical banding in

cream, lavender, and sometimes pale

gieen, often occurs), sparsely strewn

with small brown dots, entirely glabrous throughout on the back, not

]jerceptibly glaucous but lustrous and

waxy to the touch when fresh; auricles

and oral setae lacking; ligules tall,

narrow, only very rarely somewhat decurrent, pale greenish yellow, the apex

truncate to somewhat convex, the margin more or less strongly toothed or

laciniate, prominently fringed with

'^ A row of microscopic white hairs (invisible to the naked eye) marks the base of

the sheath while it is still attached, but

these are usually not to be found, either on

the base of the sheath or on the sheath scar

after sheath-fall. k
BAMBOOS OF THE GENUS PHYLLOSTACHYS 13

pale bristles; sheath blades narrow,

lance-shaped to strap-shaped, spreading away from the culm, not crinkled,

the upper ones long and recurved, all

pale green, sometimes more or less perceptibly suffused with lavender, with

a wide cream border; leaf sheaths rarely show auricles or oral setae; ligules

well developed, exserted; leaf blades

glabrous or glabrescent except at the

base on the lower surface, up to

6%eX% in., more commonly 4^2 in.

long and up to iVm in. wide.

From the similarity in the shape and

proportions of the culm sheaths, this

bamboo is perhaps most likely to be

confused v/ith P. flexuosa. However,

the culm sheath in P. angusla is color

striped and is paler and less prominently maculate than the culm sheath

in P. flexuosa. The ligule of the culm

sheath in P. angusta is longer and

fringed on the margin with more prominent bristles than the same structure

in P. flexuosa. The culm internodes in

P. flexuosa are glaucous in the upper

half at sheath-fall, at which time the

powder is barely noticeable on the culm

internodes in P. angusta.

This bamboo was originally obtained at Tang-si, Chekiang Province,

China, in 1907, by Frank N. Meyer,

agricultural explorer of the United

States Department of Agriculture. It

is growing at the Garden under P. I.

No. 23237. In a plant 19 years old,

culms of maximum height (21 ft. 8 in.)

had the first branches 13 ft. 2 in. above

ground. According to Meyer the

Chinese name "Sah Chu" ( Stone Bamboo) alludes to the hard texture of the

culms, which are "mostly used in the

manufacture of fine bamboo furniture,

it being a very strong kind." The

shoots are edible, and are singularly

free from the acridity, or "bite," that

mars the flavor of some species. Shoot

initiation begins at midseason.

Culms of this bamboo were included

in studies on seasoning and physical

properties carried out by H. E. Glenn

and others at Clemson Agricultural

College, South Carolina (5).

The plant has proved to be hardy

at Washington, D. C. The distribution of this bamboo is still extremely

limited; it apparently has not been

listed by any nursery as yet.

Phyllostaohys arcana M c C 1 u r e ,

Wash. Acad. Sei. Jour. 35: 280.

1945. (Figs. 6 and 7.)

Culms up to 27 ft. 3 in. tall and V'/i(^

in. in diameter at the base, usually

more or less sinuous, sometimes strongly curved near the base, otherwise erect

or nearly so, except where exposed

during growth to more light on one

side; internodes (No. 1: 3V8 in- long;

No. 5: 8% in. long; No. 14—the longest in a culm 27 ft. 3 in. long, with 54

internodes—13ys in. long) green, with

abundant, loose, floccose powder unevenly distributed at sheath-fall, entirely glabrous, usually perce])tibly

ribbed; nodal ridges rather prominent,

narrow; sheath scars glabrous, thick,

rather abruptly and somewhat strongly

Hared; cuhn sheaths grayish or lavender beige with the salient green veins

outlined in lavender, the basal ones

bearing here and there a blotch of

])urple (later brown), sparsely maculate with small brownish-purple dots,

usually noticeably glaucous at first,

scabrous to subglabrous, the u])per

ones usually immaculate and glabrous;

auricles and oral setae not develo])ed;

ligules prominently developed, strongly convex at the apex, fringed with tiny

hairs or smooth along the undulate

margin, very fragile and soon more or

less broken, usually strongly decurrent ;

especially in the sheaths at lower and

median levels; sheath blades narrow,

lance-shaped to strap-shaped, spreading or more or less strongly bent back,

often more or less wavy, but not

crinkled; leaf sheaths usually without

auricles and oral setae; ligules prominently exserted, rounded at the apex,

very delicate and soon broken; leaf

blades usually glabrous or nearly so,

even at the base, on the lower surface

(sometimes selulose on the lower sur-
14 AGR. HANDBOOK 114, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

p. I. S. XEGS. 37350j 37364

FICUHL O.—Phyltoitachys arcana (P. I. No. 77007) : Culm and young shoots from the Garden.
BAMBOOS OF THK GENUS PHYLLOSTACHYS 15

FIGURE 7.—Phyllostachjs arcana (P. I. No.

77007) : Apex of culm sheath, showing

sheath blade and ligule.

face in old culms), up to óVs X % in.,

more commonly 4X% in. or smaller.

From P. nuda McClure, which it resembles closely in some respects, F.

arcana is readily distinguished by

the tall, strongly arched ligule of the

lower culm sheaths and by the peculiar

way in which the dormant buds at the

lower culm nodes become partially covered by the extension of the nodal

ridges.

This bamboo was originally introduced into this country from China in

1926 under P. I. No. 77007 by the

writer as agricultural explorer for the

United States Department of Agriculture. Propagating material under the

name "Lao Chu" was obtained at PeSBZ-kung Monastery, Chiu-hwa-shan,

Anhwei Province, where it was observed both in the wild and in cultivation.

4147fiO°—57 3

The name "arcana" means hidden.

It was chosen on account of the initial

difficulty experienced in finding outstanding recognition characters for

this bamboo. It likewise describes a

peculiar condition of the dormant buds

at the base of the culm.

Internodes throughout the culms

may with age gradually develop irregular black spots, numerous in proportion to the degree of exposure to direct

sunlight—these being most conspicuous on the south side of culms at or

near the south edge of the clump.

In a plant 28 years old, culms 26

ft. 5 in. tall had the first bud at the

5th to the 9th node above ground, and

the first branch complement at the 22d

to the 27th node.

Shoot initiation begins early in the

season. The shoots are eaten in China,

and the withes split from culms are used

by the Chinese in weaving matting and

for making lanterns.

Culms of this bamboo were included

in studies on seasoning and physical

properties carried out at Clemson Agricultural College, South Carolina (3).

Cultivation of this species has not

been undertaken in any part of the

United States outside the Garden. It

apparently is not listed by any nursery.

Phyllostachys aurea A. & C. Riv.,

Soc. Acclim. B. Ser. 3, 5: 716.

1878.

Fishpole Bamboo; Hotei-Chiku

(Japanese). (Figs. 8 and 9.)

P. bambusoides var. aurea (Riv.)

Makino, Bot. Mag. Tokyo 11:

158. 1897.

Culms up to 27 ft. 3 in. tall and about

1% in. in diameter at the base, very

straight and stiffly erect, the habit not

affected by exposure during growth to

more light on one side; internodes'

* In a variable hut usually high perrentage of the culms and at any position on the

lower half of the culm, but most commonly

at the very base, one to several internodes

are very much shortened and more or less

asymmetrically inflated (fig. 9).
16 AGR. HANDBOOK 114, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

r. I. S. NKG. 37:i39

FIGURE 8.—Phyllostachys aurea (P. I. No.

38919) : Young shoots from the Garden.

(No. 1: 2% in. long; No. 5: 5%Q in.

long; No. 16—the longest in a culm 27

ft. 3 in. long, with 56 internodes—IO14

in. long) green, visibly to strongly

glaucous soon after sheath-fall, gray

in age, smooth (not striate), entirely

glabrous from the first; nodal ridges

only moderately prominent; sheath

scars rather thin, not strongly flared,

about as prominent as the nodal ridges,

fringed with short white hairs that persist for some time after sheath-fall;

culm sheaths pale olive green to pale

rosy buff, with wine or pale-green

veins, rather sparsely strewn with small

brown s|)ots, not glaucous, bearing minute white hairs in a narrow zone (a

line) along the base, otherwise entirely

glabrous; auricles and oral setae lacking; ligules very short, the apex slightly

convex or rarely slightly concave and

ciliate on the margin in the lower several sheaths, slightly taller and longciliate to fimbriate on the margin in

mid-culm sheaths; sheath blades lanceshaped and more or less crinkled below, becoming long, narrowly strapshaped and pendulous above; leaf

sheaths with auricles and oral setae well

developed or often lacking entirely;

ligules very short, scarcely exserted;

leaf blades glabrous or glalDrescent except at the base of the lower surface,

up to 6%eXyg in., more commonly 4

to 4% X 34 in.

From P. meyeri McClure, which it resembles closely in many respects, P.

aurea is readily distinguished by the

much shorter, smoothly convex ligule

of the culm sheath, and by the prominent fringe on the margin of ligules

on the upper sheaths. P. propinqua,

also closely related to P. aurea, lacks

the fringe of hairs on the culm sheath

scars and has a narrower culm sheath

blade and a hump in the middle of the

longer culm sheath ligule.

P. aurea, native to China, long established in cultivation in Japan,

Europe, and South America, was successfully introduced into this coimtry

in 1914 by the United States Department of Agriculture. Plants from the

Centro Agrícola at Bahía, Brazil, were

obtained through the courtesy of V. A.

ArgoUa Ferrao. Some of these plants

are established in the bamboo collection at the Garden under P. I. No.

38919. This species is further represented at the Garden by P. I. No.

55975 from L'Hermitage, Mons, Belgium, which was obtained as seeds from

Jean Houzeau de Lehaie, and by P. I.

No. 75153, obtained as plants from the

Royal Botanic Garden, Kew, England.

Earlier successful introductions of this

species were made by private individuals. One of these introductions is

represented by a 10-acre planting at

Montgomery, Ala., dating back to 1883.
BAMBOOS OF THE GENUS PHYLLOSÏACHYS 17

FIGURE 9.—Phyllostachys aureci (P. I. No. 75153): Apex of culm sheath, showing sheath

blade and fringed ligule; (below) base of culm, showing shortening of internodes manifested by a certain proportion of the culms in every clump.
18 AGR. HANDBOOK 114, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

In a 30-year-old plant at the Garden

a culm 27 ft. 3 in. tall had its first bud

at the 15th node (7 ft. 9 in. aboveground) and the first branches at the

20th node ( about 13 ft. aboveground ).

The culms are stiff and generally relatively straight. The wood is unusually hard and bonelike when thoroughly

matured and dried. In China and

Japan culms selected for size and perfection are used for fishing poles, walking sticks, umbrella handles, fan handles, and pipe stems. Culms of this

bamboo have for years been imported

from Japan in considerable quantities

for use in the natural state as fishing

poles. The shoots are very palatable,

being relatively free from acridity, or

"bite," even in the raw state (13).

Shoot initiation begins at midseason.

P. aurea is one of the most widely

cultivated of the bamboos of the genus

Phyllostachys established in this country. It is found on the Pacific coast

as far north as British Columbia, and

it is cultivated as far north as Washington, D. C, on the Atlantic coast.

Its temperature tolerance is recorded

as -4° F.^

Culms of this bamboo were included

in studies on seasoning and physical

properties carried out at Clemson Agricultural College of South Carolina ( 3 ).

At least 10 nurseries have listed this

species (11).

Phyllostachys aureosulcata McClure, Wash. Acad. Sei. Jour.

35:282. 1945.

Yellowgroove; Stake and Forage

bamboo.

(Figs. 10 and 11.)

Culms up to 26 ft. 6 in. tall and l-J-s

in. in diameter at the base, erect or

nearly so, more or less fiexuose " to

nearly straight, the habit affected little

or not at all by ex])osure of growing

'' Data from files oí Plant Introduction Section.

'' A character of the species is the occasional occurrence of one to several strongly

geniculate nodes, usually within the first 3

feet aboveground.

shoots to more light from one side;

internodes (No. 1: % in. long; No. 2:

5% in. long; No. 16—the longest in a

culm 22 ft. 5 in. long, with 49 internodes—10% in. long) dull green, with

a green-and-yellow striped panel above

the insertion of buds and branches

(also in an analogous position above

unbranched nodes I, lightly and loosely

powdery, especially just below the

nodes at sheath-fall, scabrous to touch

at first, usually not noticeably ribbedstriate; nodal ridges moderately prominent, narrow; sheath scars abruptly

fiared, almost as prominent as the nodal

ridge, clean cut, glabrous; culm sheaths

pale olive with pale-green and often

pale-wine and cream streaks, never

spotted, glabrous on the back, noticeably to conspicuously coated with loose

somewhat floccose powder when fresh;

auricles lacking in the lowermost several sheaths and in those above the

middle of the culm, elsewhere usually

well developed, rather broad, ovate,

rather sparsely fringed with delicate,

crinkly bristles; ligules well developed,

broadly convex, the margin rather irregular, toothed, fringed with minute

white cilia; sheath blades lance-shaped

and commonly reflexed in lower sheaths

to narrowly spreading, triangular, not

strongly elongate, sometimes wavy, in

upper sheaths; leaf sheaths with auricles and oral setae usually lacking;

ligules weakly exserted; leaf blades

weakly puberulent at the very base,

otherwise glabrous or glabrescent on

the lower surface, up to 6%e in. long

and % in. broad, usually much shorter

and narrower, especially in older culms.

The specific epithet alludes to the

distinctive coloration of the sulcus of

young culms and their branches. After

a person becomes familiar with P.

aureosulcata it is not likely to be confused with any other bamboo. Field

characters that are easily recognized:

White-striped culm sheaths; internodes

of young culms scabrous to touch and

showing a greenish-yellow panel on the

groove.

P. aureosulcata was obtained at
BAMBOOS OF THE GENUS PHYLLOSTACHYS 19

p. I. S. NEGS. 37351

FIGURE 10.—Phyllostachyf; niireo.siilc/ila (P. I. No. .5.5173): Left, small culm; center, culm

showinf; characteristic zigzag firowtli occasionally manifested; rifilit. ynunfi slionls. All from

the Garden.

Tang-si, Chekiang Province, China, by

Frank N. Meyer in 1907, and plants of

it are growing at the Garden under P. I.

No. 55713. Plants distributed to collaborators about 1925 as the "Stake

and Forage Bamboo" were of this species, identified at that time as P. nevinii.

Next to P. aurea and P. bambusoidcs,

P. aureosulcata is one of the most

widely distributed species of the genus

in cultivation in the United States, owing to the emphasis on its distribution

that was in effect during the twenties.

Records of the Department of Agriculture give its geographical range in cultivation as "Gulf to the Carolinas; Pacific coast," and its temperature toi-
20 AGR. HANDBOOK 114, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

/LIQULt

FIGURE 11.—PhyUostachys aureosiilrata (P. I.

No. 55713) : Apex of culm sheath, showing sheath blade, ligule, and auricles.

erance as 0° F. It is commonly seen

around Washington, D. C, where, in

favorable situations, the culms reach

a height of 30 ft. and a basal diameter

of an inch or a little more. It is one

of five species whose shoots were found

by R. A. Young {13) to be "entirely

free from any unpleasant taste in the

uncooked state." The culms serve

satisfactorily as fishing poles and as

garden stakes; it is primarily for these

purposes that it is grown in the United

States, though many people value it as

an ornamental as well. The relatively

high incidence of culms with a "kink"

near the base would reduce their acceptability in commercial competition

with other bamboos.

A culm 23 ft. 10 in. tall and 11/4 i"-

in diameter at the base, taken from the

midst of a colony about 30 years old,

had its first bud at node 16 (7 ft. 9 in.

aboveground) and its first branches

at node 23 (13 ft. 8 in. aboveground).

Shoot initiation begins in early midseason.

Culms of P. aureosulcata were included in studies on seasoning and

physical properties carried out at

Clemson Agricultural College of South

Carolina (3).

At least three nurseries have listed

this species (11).

PhyUostachys banibusoides Sieb. &

Zuce, Kgl. Bayer. Akad. Wiss.

Abh. 3: 746. 1843.

Giant Timber bamboo ; Madake

(Japanese).' (Figs. 12 and 13.)

P. reliculata of Japanese botanists.

Culms up to 72 ft. tall and 5% in.

in diameter at the base, erect or nearly

so, except in the margin of a dense

grove where they lean toward the most

intense light, relatively straight, or in

some of the horticultural forms

strongly sinuous near the base; internodes (No. 1: 4in. long; No. 5: 9% in.

long; No. 22—the longest in a culm

48 ft. long, with 60 internodes—16%

in. long) green, or in several horticultural forms golden yellow or golden

yellow with a variable amount of green

striping, glabrous throughout, lustrous,

without any sign of white powder at

sheath-fall, usually not noticeably

striate; nodal ridges variable, slightly

more to slightly less ])rominent than

the sheath scars in the typical form

of the species and in the yellow-stemmed

forms, and often scarcely discernible

in the "Crookstem" forms; sheath scars

rather thin, glabrous, not strongly

flared; culm sheaths greenish to ruddy

buff, more or less densely spotted

throughout with dark brown, several

of the basal ones usually without

auricles, others bearing usually two

(rarely one), these narrow to rather

broadly ovate or falcate, fringed with

several greenish crinkled bristles

(oral setae) ; ligules moderately well

developed, the apex more or less

strongly convex with the margin ciliolate in smaller culms to nearly straight

and fringed on the margin with coarse

bristles in larger ones; sheath blades

short, lance-shaped, reflexed, and

crinkled in lower sheaths to long, strap-

' Common names of the typical form. The

species name, standing alone, designates the

typical form of the plant. The description

however, is drawn up so as to include the

scope of variation represented by the cultivars. Deviations from the typical form are

designated by reference to the cultivar names.
BAMBOOS OF THE GENUS PHYLLOSTACHYS 21

I'. I. S. NEG. 78535

FIGURE 12.—Phylloslachys bambiisoides, the typical form (P. I. No. 77003) : Young shoots

from the Garden.
22 AGR. HANDBOOK 114, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

FIGURE 13.—Phyllostachys bumbusoides. the

typical form (P. I. No. 40842) : Apex of

culm sheath, showing sheath blade, ligules,

and auricles.

shaped and recurved in upper ones,

green or beautifully colored with pastel

shades: Green down the middle, with

an equally wide band of blended wine,

green, and buff on each side, and a

narrow inargin of cream; leaf sheaths

usually with auricles and oral setae well

developed; ligules well developed; leaf

blades up to TyaXll^ in., with 1%X

1/Í) in. to 6% X 1 in. a common range,

puberulous to subglabrous except at the

base on the lower surface.

The typical form of P. bainbusoides

is perhaps most apt to be confused with

P. vivax, which differs in the broader

apex of the culm sheaths and their complete lack of auricles, the inore pendulous habit of the leafy twigs, and

the slightly asymmetrical shape of the

internodes in the unbranched part of

the culm. The typical fonn of P. bainbusoides is also apt to be confused with

the typical form of P. viridis, which

differs in the complete lack of auricles

and oral setae on the culm sheaths, in

the broad farinose zone below the culm

nodes, and the pigskinlike surface of

the culm internodes.

The Giant Timber bamboo, native

to China and cultivated in Japan for

a very long time, has been introduced

repeatedly and has been planted perhaps more widely in this country than

any other bamboo; at least 11 nurseries

have listed it ill). The earliest introductions, made by private individuals,

are generally not well documented.

Even the history of the introduction

of the plants (P. I. No. 40842) that

produced the now famous grove of

this bamboo at the Garden is incoinplete. David Fairchild (i) says it

was introduced by Andreas E. Moynelo

"probably in the late eighties," and

planted on the present site in 1890.

The precise origin of the material is in

doubt.

P. bambusoides is represented at the

Garden by other introductions as follows: P. I. Nos. 12180, 77003, 118926,

and 128787.

In a culm 48 ft. 2 in. tall, 2% in. in

diameter, with 60 internodes, taken

from the midst of a grove, the first bud

occurred at node 24 (25 ft. 4 in. above

the ground) and the first branches developed at node 28 (30 ft. 4 in. above

the ground).

Shoot initiation begins relatively

late.

The typical form of this species is

the one most cultivated in China and

Japan for its useful culms, and, indeed,

it may be said to be the most versatile

bamboo of the genus Phyllostachys.

Because of this versatility, the large

size reached by the culms under favorable conditions, and the prolific production of edible shoots having only

a slight degree of acridity even in the

raw state (13), P. bainbusoides has

been favored by the United States Department of Agriculture and by farmers

as the one most likely to make a place

for itself in the rural economy. Its

only serious competitor in both size
BAMBOOS OF THE GENUS PHYLLOSTACHYS 23

and vigor is P. virax, whose culms are

not so straight and for this reason less

generallv useful. Recently developed

industries for the preservation of hamboo culms for the market and for the

fabrication of an impressive array of

specialties depend principally on the

domestic supply of P. bambusoides.

Its minimum temperature tolerance is

estimated as 0° F.^ It is hardy at

Glenn Dale. Md., and a few clumps are

known to be thriving in Washington, D. C.

Culms of this bamboo were included

in studies on seasoning and physical

properties carried out at Clemson Agricultural College of South Carolina (5).

During World War II, culms of P.

bambusoides were subjected to comparative tests along with 11 other species, representing 4 distinct genera, as

material for making laminated (hexagonal) ski |)oles. The following is

quoted from the report on these tests

( 6) : "In workability, this species probably excels all of the species tested

under this project, with the exception

of Tonkin Cane [Arundinaria amabilis]. Unfortunately [P. bambusoides] . . . fell slightly below the

minimal requirements of Test No. ?>

[span] in average performance.

Furthermore . . . unimpregnated

shafts . . . 'take a set' regularly when

subjected to moderate but firm lateral

stress.

Four distinct horticultural forms of

this species are cultivated at the

Garden.

Eight nurseries offered plants of /'.

bambusoides in 1955.

Phyllostachys bambusoides Sieb. &

Zuce. cv. ALLGOLD McClure,

Arnold Arboretuin Jour. 37:

193. 1956.

Phyllostachys sulphurea A. & C.

Riv., Soc. Acclim. B. Ser. 3, 5:

773. 1878.

P. castillonis var. holochrysa

Pfitz., Deut. Dendr. Gesell. Mit.

14: 60. 1905.

"Data from files of Plant Introduction

Section.

I', quilioi var. castillonis holochrysa Regel ex H. de Leh.,

Hambou. p. 118. 1906.

/'. bambusoides var. castilloni

holochrysa (Ffitz.) H. de Leh.,

Congr. internatl. de Bot. 3, Actes

2: 228. 1912.

/'. reticulata var. sulphurea Makino, Bot. Mag. Tokyo 26: 24.

1912.

P. bambusoides var. sulphurea

Makino ex Tsuboi, Illus. Jap.

Sp. Bamb., ed. 2, p. 7, pi. 5.

1916.

P. reticulata var. holochrysa

(Pfitz.) Nakai, Jour. Jap. Bot.

9: 34. 1933.

Allgold bamboo is distinguished

from the typical form of the s])ecies

by the overall color of its culms and

branches—bright yellow at sheath-fall

(sometimes diffused with dilute wine,

especially in the lower part of the

culm), turning at length to a rich golden yellow. In an occasional culm a

lower internode shows a thin, vertical

stripe of green. An occasional leaf

blade shows a white or cream stripe.

In ultimate culm size AUgold is considerably smaller than the typical form

of the species, but does not differ from

the type in any strictly morphological

character.

Allgold differs from the Castillon

bamlioo ( from which it is said by

Japanese botanists to have originated)

in lacking the green panel on the sulcus

of culm and branch internodes and in

having the green striping occur rarely,

often lacking entirely.

Nakai writes, "This is of Chinese

origin. It is said that this bamboo was

introduced from China to Europe in

1865."

This Chinese bamboo was received

by the United States Department of

Agriculture from V. N. Gauntlett & Co..

Chiddingfold, Surrey, England, in 1930

and accessioned under P. I. No. 89701.

The original colony is under cultivation at the Garden.

A horticultural form of P. viridis,

the Robert Young Bamboo, P. I. No.
24 AGR. HANDBOOK 114, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

89718, is distinguishable from Allgold by the yellowish-green young

culms at sheath-fall, the broken ring

of dark green just below each sheath

scar in the lower part of the culms, and

the pigskinlike surface of the internodes I discernible to a sensitive touch

or visible under a 9 X lens).

Shoot initiation begins late. Distribution of AUgold is still limited; it

apparently has not been listed by any

nursery as yet.

Phyllostachys bambusoides Sieb. &

Zuce. cv. CASTILLON McClure,

Arnold Arboretum Jour. 37:

192. 1956.

Kinmei-Chiku (Japanese).

Ramlnisa castilloni Marliac ex

Carrière, Rev. Hort. 58: 513.

1886.

Phyllostachys castillonis (Marl.)

Mitf., Garden 47: 3. 1895.

P. bambusoides var. castillonis

Makino. Bot. Mag. Tokyo 14:

65. 1900.

P. quilioi var. castillonis H. de

Leb., Bambou, p. 29. 1906.

P. nigra var. castillonis (Mitf.)

Bean, Kew B., p. 232. 1907.

P. reticulata var. castillonis

(Marl.) Makino, Bot. Mag.

Tokyo 26: 21. 1912.

The Castillon bamboo is distinguished from the typical form of the

species by the color pattern of the

culms and leaves as follows: Ground

color of the culm internodes (and

branches) bright yellow (sometimes

suffused with dilute wine in the lower

part of the culm) ; the internodes of

culms and branches show a broad green

panel on the groove above each bud or

branch insertion (and in analogous

positions where buds or branches do

not occur) ; occasional leaf blades show

cream stripes. The ultimate culm size

of this form is considerably less than

that of the typical form of the species.

The Castillon bamboo is native to

China. It was introduced into Japan

at an early date and by 1886 (Carrière)

it was established in cultivation in

France. Japanese botanists report evidence that it is a spontaneous mutation

of /-". bambusoides (7). The original

colony of P. I. No. 42659 under cultivation at the Garden developed from

plants purchased from the Yokohama

Nursery Co., Japan, in 1916.

As pointed out by Freeman-Mitford

in his book, "The Bamboo Garden"

(2), the Japanese name of this form

(in translation Golden Brilliant bamboo) is appropriate and significant.

The plant is highly esteemed in both

China and Japan as an ornamental.

Its edible young shoots have less acridity when raw than those of the typical

form of the species (13). Shoot initiation begins late.

Culms of this bamboo were included

in studies on seasoning and physical

properties carried out at Clemson Agricultural College of South Carolina (3).

The Castillon bamboo has been listed

by at least four nurseries (77 I.

Phyllostachys bambusoides Sieb. &

Zuce. cv. SLENDER CROOKSTEM

McCIure, Arnold Arboretum

Jour. 37: 194. 1956.

P. bambusoides Sieb. & Zuce, illustrated as an abnormal culm.

Tsuboi, Illus. Jap. Sp. Bamb.,

ed. 2, pi. 58. 1916.

P. bambusoides. Variety Slender Crookstem. U. S. Dept.

Agr. Some bamboos growing

at the U. S. Barbour Lathrop

Plant Introduction Garden,

Savannah, Georgia. Mimeo.,

p. 7. 1947.

P. reticulata forma genticulata

Nakai, Jour. Jap. Bot. 9: 34.

1933.

Slender Crookstem bamboo is distinguished from the typical form of

the species by the occurrence, in a high

percentage of the culms, of a peculiarity

in growth habit that usually develops

within 2 or 3 feet of the base of the

culm. The result is one or more reciprocal curved (not abrupt) deviations
BAMBOOS OF THE GENUS PHYLLOSTACHYS 25

of the culm, usually an inch or so in

magnitude, followed by a more or less

precise return to the original vertical

direction of growth. These deviations

may be simple, involving only 2 or 3

consecutive internodes, or they may be

compound, with 2 or more successive

curves involving several internodes in

a sinuous sequence. Most of the culms

of Slender Crookstem are more slender

in relation to their height than those of

the typical form of the species. The

culm nodes (both the ridge and the

sheath scar) are generally less salient,

with a correspondingly clear approach

to straightness in the fibrovascular

bundles as they pass through the nodes.

Buds are borne at a lower level on

culms of comparable size, and frequently more of the lower buds remain

dormant than in the culm of the typical

form of the species. There is often a

more copious development of hairs on

the culm sheaths, and these often develop on sheaths of culms of smaller

size than is the rule in the typical form

of the species.

Propagating material of this bamboo

sent in by the writer in 1925 from

Tang-wan-foh, near Tak-hing, Kwangtung Province, China, has been accessioned as P. I. No. 146420. The original colony is under cultivation at the

Garden.

David Bisset, superintendent of the

United States Harbour Lathrop Plant

Introduction Garden, who first called

attention to this form, says that its

culms are preferred to the typical form

of P. bambusoides for nut-harvesting

poles.

Culms of Slender Crookstem were

included in studies on seasoning and

physical properties carried out at

Clemson Agricultural College of South

Carolina (3).

Shoot initiation begins at midseason.

The distribution of this bamboo in

cultivation is still extremely limited; it

apparently has not been listed by any

nursery.

Phyllostachys bambusoides Sieb. &

Zuce. cv. WHITE CROOKSTEM

(new cultivar).

While Crookstem is similar to Slender Crookstem in having many of its

culms curved in a serpentine manner

near the base. But its culms develop

a copious deposit of white powder that

persists and in the older culms obscures the green color more or less

completely.

Propagating material of this bamboo

sent in by the writer in 1926 from

Lung-tau (Dragon Head) Mountain,

Kwangtung Province, China, was accessioned as P. I. No. 66785. The

original colony is under cultivation at

the Garden.

Shoot initiation begins at late midseason.

The distribution of this bamboo in

cultivation is still extremely limited;

it apparently is not listed by any

nursery.

Phyllostachys b i s s e t i i McClure,

Arnold Arboretum Jour. 37 :

180. 1956.

David Bisset bamboo.

(Figs. 14 and 15.)

Culms up to 22 ft. 6 in. tall and

about % in. in diameter at the base

(nearly 1 inch at the 10th node), erect

or nearly so, except at the edge of a

dense grove where they lean noticeably

toward the most intense light; internodes (No. 1: 4 in. long; No. 5: 9 in.

long; No. 12—the longest in a culm 22

ft. 6 in. long, with 50 internodes—13

in. long) green, loosely farinose at

sheath-fall, entirely glabrous or the

lower ones more or less perceptibly

scabrous, being sparsely strewn in the

upper half with minute erect hairs;

nodal ridges only moderately prominent; sheath scars glabrous, rather

strongly flared, each about as prominent as the adjacent nodal ridge; culm

sheaths pale green or yellow green,

weakly and irregularly tinted with
26 AGR. HANDBOOK 114, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

</)

O

r. I. S. NEG. S8591

FIGURE 14.—Phyllostachys bissetii (P. I. 143540) : Young shoots from the Garden.
BAMBOOS OF THE GENUS PHYLLOSTACHYS 27

FIGURE 15.—Phyllostachys bissetii (P. I.

No. 14.3-^40) : Apex of culm sheath showing blade, ligule, and auricles. (From

McClure in Journal of the Arnold Arboretum. )

wine, in smaller shoots principally in

broad, indistinct vertical bands, in

shoots of larger diameter developing

a blush of pink, not spotted with dark

pigment, irregularly floccose-])owdery

and sometimes perceptibly glaucous

when fresh, thin, fissile, dusky beige

on drying, the lower ones sometimes

pubescent on the back and margins;

auricles more or less well developed in

the lower and midculm sheaths ( one or

the other or both sometimes obsolete),

ovate, or oblong, or broadly falcate,

often pinkish when fresh; oral setae

few, glabrous or barely scabrous, sometimes lacking entirely; ligules maroon

when fresh, covered by the sheath blade

and auricles in the lower sheaths, i^e

to %6 in. tall, convex at the apex, the

margin more or less irregular, fringed

with slender, white pubescent cilia;

sheath blades of variable posture, generally appressed or slightly reflexed,

sometimes strongly reflexed; narrowly

triangular to ovate-lanceolate, slightly

canaliculate and undulate, boat-shaped

at the apex, excurrent into auricles at

the base; leaf sheaths usually auriculate; ligules moderately developed;

leaf blades up to 4 in. long and ^''jß

in. broad, more commonly 2^4 to 3Vk

in. by % to 1/2 in-5 weakly and irregularly scabrous on the lower surface.

/'. bissetii is in some res))ects rather

similar to P. aureosiilcata from which

it is distinguished by the very sparse

instead of dense pubescence of the

lower internodes of the culm, by its

lack of sharply defined color-striping

in the culm sheaths and by minor differences in the apical structure of the

culm sheaths. Moreover, it lacks the

yellow color panel on the groove, a

stable feature characteristic of the internodes of young culms of P. aureosulcata.

Propagating material of this bamboo, from plants under cultivation at

Cheng-tu, Szechwan Province, China,

was obtained by John Tee-Van and

brought to this country for the Plant

Introduction Section of the United

States Department of Agriculture late

in 1941. The original colony, now 15

years old, is growing at the Garden,

under P. I. No. 143540.

P. bissetii is one of the first to initiate

the growth of new shoots in the spring.

According to Mr. Bisset, it has shown

signs of being one of the hardiest of

the phyllostachids under observation at

the Garden.

The distribution of this bamboo in

cultivation is still extremely limited; it

apparently has not been listed by any

nursery.

Phyllostachys congesta R e n d 1 e ,

Linn. Soc. Bot. Jour. 36: 438.

1904.

(Figs. 16 and 17.)

Culms up to 25 ft. 4 in. tall and 2V8

in. in diameter at the base, strongly

tapered, stiffly erect or nearly so, the

shoots not responding noticeably to

stronger light from one side; internodes (No. 1: 3% in. long; No. 5: 6 in.

long; No. 17—the longest in a culm

25 ft. 4 in. long, with 54 internodes—
28 AGR. HANDBOOK 114, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

p. I. s. Ní;I;. «970U

FIGURE 16.—Phyllostachys congesta ( P. I. No.

80149) : Young shoots from the Garden.

10% in. long) loosely farinose, especially below the nodes at sheath-fall,

green, more or less heavily covered

with gray in age, glabrous, often perceptibly but not markedly striate;

nodal ridges rather prominent; sheath

scars rather thick and prominently

flared, glabrous; culm sheaths glabrous, dark green, with wine admixture,

rarely, in the smaller culms, very

faintly streaked with paler green and

wine, glaucous near the base and apex;

auricles cominonly obsolete, their position sometimes marked by a few

weak bristles (oral setae) ; ligules comFiGiRE 17.—PhyUostarhys congesta (P. I.

No. 80149) : Outer (left) and inner (right)

aspects of the apex of the culm sheath,

showing sheath blade and ligule.

|)letely covered by the blade, as wide

as the blade, but very short, the apex

straight to slightly convex, more or less

strongly concave in the upper sheaths,

the margin slightly irregular, densely

fringed with minute white cilia; sheath

blades broadly triangular to lanceolate, appressed and flat in the lower

sheaths to trough-shaped and naviculate in the upper ones, all noticeably

waved ; leaf sheaths with auricles mostly

reduced to a mere line of callus tissue;

oral setae lacking entirely or more

often few to several : ligules very short,

scarcely exserted ; leaf blades glabrous

or nearly so except at the base on the

lower surface, up to 51/^ in. long and

% in. broad, commonly 3 to 4 in. long

and % to 1/2 in. broad.

The culms are very similar in

appearance to those of P. nigra cv.

Henon, but the latter are less strongly

tapered and more conspicuously coated

with white powder.

The young shoots closely resemble

those of P. purpúrala cv. Straightstem,

but the sheaths of the latter have the

auricles and oral setae appreciably developed and Straightstem culms are

less strongly tapered and have longer

internodes at the base and less prominent nodes.
BAMBOOS OF THE GENUS PHYLLOSTACHYS 29

Material obtained by Frank N. Meyer

from Tang-si, Chekiang Province,

China, in 1907, is growing at the Garden under P. I. No. 80149.

Shoot initiation begins at niidseason.

The edible young shoots of this bamboo

are among those having only a small

degree of acridity, or "bite," when raw

(13).

Culms of P. congesta were included

in studies on seasoning and physical

properties carried out at Clemson Agricultural College of South Carolina

(3).

The distribution of this bamboo is

still extremely limited ; it apparently is

not listed by any nursery.

Phyllostachys decora McClure,

Arnold Arboretum Jour. 37:

182.

(Figs. 18 and 19.)

Culms up to 23 ft. 714 in. tall and

IVl in. in diameter, green; nodes and

internodes at first sparsely strewn with

very short retrorse hairs, then glabrescent. at first slightly or not at all

glaucous, becoming densely pruinose

below the nodes; internodes (No. 1:

3 in. long; No. 5: 41/4 in. long; No.

11—the longest in a culm 23 ft. 71/; in.

long—6^/4 in- long) sometimes slightly

ribbed-striate; nodal ridges and sheath

scars moderately and almost equally

prominent, sheath scar glabrous; culm

sheaths widely truncate at the apex,

abruptly rounded, glabrous on the back,

not at all pruinose, immaculate or

sparsely strewn with minute dark spots,

dark green with pale green or white

stripes (sometimes almost entirely

white) with a purple margin at the

apex; auricles 1 or 2 or none, narrowly falcate, dark, with or without

scattered brown hairs, margins finibriate; ligules purple at first, very wide

and relatively short, truncate or slightly

wavy or weakly convex at the apex,

the margin fimbriate with white hairs,

backed by thick, scabrous dark bristles;

sheath blades broadly lance-shaped to

strap-shaped, abruptly acute at the

apex, the lower ones appressed, the

upper ones appressed or more or less

spreading, sometimes slightly undulate; leaf sheaths weakly auriculate;

auricles usually small or obsolete; oral

r. I. S. NEC. S79S7

FIGURE 18.—Phyllostachys decora (P. I. No.

128789) : Yoiini; shoots from the Garden.
30 AGR. HANDBOOK 114, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

FIGURE 19.—Phyilostachys decora (P. I. No.

128789): Outer (left) and inner (right)

aspects of the culm sheath. (From McClure in Journal of the Arnold Arboretum. )

setae few, fragile, fugacious; ligules

not at all exserted, purple at first; leaf

blades sparsely scabrous below.

This species is readily distinguished

from all others ( treated herein I by the

broad truncate apex of the whitestriped culm sheaths and the broad but

short purple ligule exserted on each

side of the broad strap-shaped sheath

blade.

Plants of P. decora from the Hoi-wai

Monastery, Lung-chi Mountain, near

I-ming, Kiangsu Province, China,

where it is known by the Chinese vernacular name "Mei Chu" (Beautiful

bamboo), were sent by the writer to

the United States Department of Agriculture in 1938. Accessioned under

P. I. No. 128789, they constitute the

original colony under cultivation at the

Garden.

Shoot initiation takes place from

early midseason to late midseason.

The distribution of this bamboo is

still extremely liiuited ; it apparently is

not listed by any nursery.

Phyllostachys d u 1 c i s McClure,

Wash. Acad. Sei. Jour. 35: 285.

1945.

Sweetshoot bamboo.

(Figs. 20 and 21.)

Culms up to 39 ft. 1/2 in. tall and

2% in. in diameter at the base, strongly

tapered, erect or ascending, often more

or less strongly curved, the shoots

leaning more or less toward the source

of most intense light while growth is

most active, then often becoming erect

in the later stages of growth; internodes (No. 1: 41/8 in. long; No. 5:

91/0 in. long; No. 15—the longest in

a culm 39 ft. 1/4 in. long, with 57 internodes—1314 in- long) dull green,

often finely striped with cream or paler

green, bearing rather abundant loose

powder, especially below the nodes at

sheath-fall, usually heavily covered

with this deposit in age; glabrous,

strongly and somewhat unevenly

ribbed-striate ; nodal ridges fairly

prominent, noticeably thickened on the

convex side of the curved culms;

sheath scars rather thick, abruptly

flared, glabrous; culm sheaths somewhat glaucous, glabrous, or with scattered stiff erect hairs, greenish cream,

sparsely strewn with small brown spots

and usually more or less striped with

white and sometimes tinged with lavender or pale rose when fresh, pale

straw to nearly white, thin, fissile and

showing salient veins when dry; auricles well-developed, narrow, falcate,

fringed with well-developed, crinkled

oral setae; ligules strongly convex,

weakly ciliolate on the undulate margin, decurrent in the lower sheaths;

sheath blades lance-shaped to strapshaped, boat-shaped, especially toward

the tip, strongly crinkled, appressed or

slightly spreading away from the culm

in the lower sheaths, arched or drooping

in the upper ones; leaf sheaths with

auricles and oral setae strongly devel-
BAMBOOS OF THE GENUS PHYLLOSTACHYS 31

LU

I

z

Z)

o

r. I. S. NKG. 37.';27

FlcuRF 20.—Phyllostachys dulcís (P. I. No. 7.34.S2) : (!iilm and young shoots from the Garden.

oped to lacking entirely; ligules strongly exserted, ciliolate on the margin; leaf

blades up to 51^4 in. long and ^'•y^^¡ in.

broad, more commonly 3% to 4 in.

by % to •% in., of variable vesture,

usually densely pilose, at least toward

4147(i(l°—fiT .'5

the base, sometimes throughout on the

lower surface.

This species is perhaps most likely

to be confused with P. elegans. The

latter may be distinguished from P.

dulcis by the narrow apex of the culm
32 AGE. HANDBOOK 114, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

properties carried out at Clemson Agricultural College of South Carolina (3).

P. dulcís is hardy at Glenn Dale, Md.,

and in Washington, D. C; its minimum

temperature tolerance has been estimated at —4° F." It is very limited

in its distribution ; at least two nurseries have listed it (11)

Phyllostachys e 1 e g a n s McClure,

Arnold Arboretum Jour. 37:

183. 1956.

(Figs. 22 and 23.)

Culms up to 32 ft. 5 in. tall and 21^

in. in diameter at the base, rather

evenly tapered from base to tip, fairly

straight, erect or nearly so, not appreciably affected by more light from one

FIGURE 21.—Phyllostachys dulcís (P. I. No.

73452) : Apex of culm sheath, showing

sheath blade, ligule, and auricles.

sheaths, which are darker, not striped,

more densely maculate, by the more

erect, straighter culm habit, by the

shorter internodes in the lower part of

the culm, by the finer and more even

striation of the internodes, by the much

smaller leaf blades that are broader in

proportion to length, and by the presence of rusty-brown "freckles," on the

culm internodes where these are exposed to direct sunlight.

The Sweetshoot bamboo is under

cultivation at the Garden under P. I.

No. 734.52. It represents one of the

introductions of Frank N. Meyer, who

described it as "the edible bamboo of

Central China." The late E. A. Mcllhenny rated it as the most rapidly growing and most prolific of the bamboos in

his collection. The specific epithet and

the common name allude to the superior palatability of the young shoots.

Shoot initiation begins very early in

the season.

Culms of this bamboo were included

in studies on seasoning and physical

Fir.uRE 22.—Phyllostachys elegans (P. I. No.

128778) : Field sketch of a young shoot

from the Garden.

" Data from files of Plant Introduction Seclion.
BAMBOOS OF THE GENUS PHYLLOSTACTTYS 33

FIGURE 23.—Phyllostachys eleguns I P. I. No.

128778) : Apex of culm sheath, showing

sheath blade, ligule, and auricles. Inset

shows specimen with only one auricle developed : the margin of the ligule here has

lost most of the original fringe of cilia.

(From McCIure in Journal of the Arnold

Arboretum.)

side during active growth; internodes

(No. 1: lin. long; No. 5: 5% in. long;

No. 21—the longest in a culm 32 ft. 5

in. long, with 65 internodes—12^/4 in.

long) glabrous, finely and evenly

ribbed-striate, dull green at first, later

obscurely speckled with tiny, rustybrown spots where exposed to full sunlight, rather conspicuously glaucous

with loose powder at sheath-fall, this

not greatly increasing in age; nodal

ridges narrow, not very prominent;

sheath scars thin, glabrous, about as

prominent as the nodal ridges; culm

sheaths somewhat glaucous, olive green,

sometimes suffused with lavender, moderately to rather densely maculate with

small brown spots, scabrous to the

touch, especially toward the margins

near the apex, sometimes sparsely

strewn with erect bristles; auricles 1 to

2, occasionally lacking, slender, falcate,

bordered a])ically with prominent,

crinkled oral setae; ligules well developed, weakly convex, fimbriate on the

margin with scabrous bristles; sheath

blades lance-shaped to strap-shaped or

narrowly triangular, usually more or

less strongly crinkled, spreading to

more or less strongly arched or bent

back; leaf sheaths commonly tinted

with wine, with auricles usually well developed and fringed with oral setae ; ligules slightly exserted, weakly ciliolate

on the margin; leaf blades lance-,

shaped, up to 4 in. long and % in.

broad, more commonly less than 31/^

in. long and % in. broad, densely pubescent throughout on the lower surface.

/•*. elegans is set off rather clearly

from the other species of the genus by

the relatively small, lance-shaped leaf

blades that are generally more densely

pubescent on the lower surface than

those of most species. In su|)erficial

characters it resembles P. dulcís. P.

elegans may be distinguished from P.

dulcís by the narrower a))ex of the

culm sheaths, which are darker, not

striped, and more densely maculate, by

the more erect, straighter culm habit,

by the shorter internodes in the lower

part of the culm, by the finer and more

even striation of the internodes, by the

much smaller leaf blades, which are

broader in proportion to length, and

by the presence of rusty-brown

"freckles" on the culm internodes

where these are exposed to direct sunlight. In general apjjearance of the

culm sheaths, P. elegans resembles P.

viridi-glaucescens with which it was

earlier confused. The latter has a

longer ligule on the culm sheaths,

larger, longer, differently shaped and

nearly glabrous leaf blades, and perfectly smooth culm internodes without

a sign of striation.
34 AGR. HANDBOOK 114, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Propagating material of P. elegans,

obtained at Ta-ts'it near Hung-mo

Mountain, Tan District, Hainan Island, China, was sent by the writer

to the United States Department of

Agricuhure in 1938. It is growing at

the Garden under P. I. No. 128778.

The local Chinese (Cantonese) name

"Fa Chuk" (Flowered or Embroidered bamboo) alludes to the maculation of the culm sheaths. An earlier

introduction representing what appears to be a somewhat less vigorous strain of the species is P. I. No.

110511. obtained by the writer at

Mung-haang, Ts'ing-yuen District,

Kwangtung Province. China, and sent

to the United States Department of

Agriculture in 1936. The Chinese

(Cantonese) vernacular name used in

the latter locality—"Man Sun" or "Man

Chuk" ( Elegant Shoot or Elegant bamboo)—was taken as the basis for the

specific epithet.

Shoot initiation begins very early in

the season.

Culms of P. elegans (under P. I. No.

128778) were included (under the

name P. viridi-glauccsccns) in studies

on seasoning and physical properties

carried out at Clemson Agricultural

College of South Carolina (3(.

The distribution of P. elegans in cultivation is still extremely limited; apparently it is not listed by any nursery.

It is likely to be esteemed for the superior flavor and quality of its shoots

and for the beauty of the plant as an

ornamental rather than for its culms,

whose technical pro|)erties make a relatively poor showing.

Phyllostachys flexuosa A. & C. Riv.,

Soc. Acclim. B. Ser. 3. 5: 758.

1878.

(Figs. 24 and 25.)

Culms up to 30 ft. 10 in. tall and 2%

in. in diameter at the base, erect or

nearly so, straight or more often somewhat zigzag (occasionally with one to

several strongly geniculate nodes), not

responding noticeably during growth

to stronger light from one side; internodes (No. 1: 234 in. long; No. 5:

914 in. long; No. 13—the longest in a

culm 30 ft. 10 in. long, with 54 internodes—14 in. long) green, perceptibly

glaucous especially below the nodes at

sheath-fall, glabrous, ribbed-striate;

nodal ridges moderately prominent;

sheath scars about as prominent as the

nodal ridges, thin, glabrous; culm

sheaths greenish beige with purplish

close-set veins, rarely with greenishcream streaks, and always more or less

conspicuously maculate with small

brown areas, glabrous, lustrous, not

glaucous; auricles and oral setae lacking; ligules strongly developed, dark

maroon, the apex truncate to more or

less convex, often more or less asymmetrical, the margin ciliolate to fimbriate; sheath blades narrow, lanceshaped to strap-shaped, mostly bent

back or strongly arched; leaf sheaths

usually without auricles and oral setae;

ligules moderately developed, usually

not tinted with wine; leaf blades 2X %

in. to 6X34 in., more or less densely

tomentoso to subglabrous (except at the

base) on the lower surface.

This Chinese species reached the

United States via France in 1921

through the agency of Vilmorin-Andrieux & Co., whence the United Slates

Department of Agriculture received

plants now growing at the Garden under P. I. No. 52686. Another introduction growing at the Garden is P. I. No.

116965, which differs from P. I. No.

52686 ]irincipally in the less strongly

convex ligule of the culm sheaths.

Shoot initiation begins in early midseason. The shoots, though small, are

very palatable, being relatively free

from acridity, or "bite," even in the

raw state (13).

Culms of P. flexuosa (under P. I. No.

52686 ) were included in studies on

seasoning and physical properties carried out at Clemson Agricultural College of South Carolina (3).
BAMBOOS OF THE GENUS PHYLLOSTACHYS 35

1'. I. H. xi':t;s. ;ï7:ir,2j OT.'HIO

FlCL'RE 24.—PhyUuslachys flcxuvsa (P. I. No. 52686) : Culiii and young blioot from the Garden.

Its minimum temperature tolerance appears to be hardy at Glenn Dale, Md.,

has been estimated at 5° F.,'" but it and Washington, D. C. The plant has

been rather widely distributed for trial,

" Data from files of Plant Introduction a"«^ ¡s listed by at least three nurseries

Section. {II)-
36 AGR. HANDBOOK 114, V. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

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FIGURE 25.—Phyllostuchys flexuosa (P. I.

No. 52686) : Inner (left) and outer (right)

aspects of the apex of the culm sheath,

showing the sheath blade and ligule.

Phyllostachys glauca McClure,

Arnold Arboretum Jour. 37:

185. 1956.

(Figs. 26 and 27.)

Culms up to 33 ft. 6% in- tall and

1% in. in diameter; internodes (No.

1: 2 in. long; No. 5: 8% in. long; No.

14—the longest in a culm 33 ft. ôY-i

in. long, with 51 internodes—161/2 in.

long) green, glabrous throughout,

beautifully pruinose with white powder

at sheath-fall, not ribbed-striate,

straight or very rarely slightly bent at

the base; nodal ridges and sheath scars

moderately and almost equally prominent, the sheath scar glabrous; culm

sheaths narrowly truncate at the apex,

glabrous on the back, green throughout,

more or less suffused with wine, with a

few small brown spots, especially at the

base and apex, occasionally almost

without spots; auricles and oral setae

not at all developed; ligules dark, wide

and relatively short, truncate or slightly

undulate at the apex, rarely (only in the

lower sheaths) slightly concave, margin ciliate, rarely ( especially in the upper sheaths) weakly fimbriate; sheath

blades lance-shaped to strap-shaped,

rather abruptly narrowed at the apex,

fiat or slightly naviculate, lower ones

reflexed, upper ones spreading away

from the culms; leaf sheaths usually

without auricles; ligules moderately

well-developed, at first slightly tinted

with purple; leaf blades at first weakly

pilose along the veins on the lower surface, otherwise subglabrous or glabrescent, up to 7^/4 X l^/i in- i" young

culms, coinmonly around 4% X % in.

in older culms.

The specific epithet alludes to the

distinctive coloration of the young

culms, which is caused by their evenly

distributed overall covering of white

powder by which this bamboo can be

recognized even at a considerable

distance.

P. glauca is very similar to P. flexuosa in many respects. The ligules of

the culm sheaths in P. glauca are

broader and shorter in proportion,

more strictly truncate, and fringed on

the margin with minute cilia rather than

bristles; they are somewhat more durable (less fragile) on drying. The

blades of the culm sheaths (particularly in the lower half of the culm) are

appreciably broader in proportion to

their length, and more abruptly narrowed at the tip than those of P. flexuosa. The culm sheaths in P. glauca

are appreciably thicker and tougher in

texture, with generally fewer and more

discrete dark spots than those of P.

flexuosa. Plants of /-•. glauca (P. I.

No. 77011) show greater vigor and

larger ultimate stature than those of

P. flexuosa (P. I. Nos. 52686, 116965)
BAMBOOS OF THE GENUS PlIYLLOSTACHYS 37

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p. I. S. XEi;S. 37362, 373C1

FIGURE 26.—Phylloslachys glauca (P. I. No. 77011 ) : Culm and young shoots from the Garden.

under apparently identical growing

conditions.

Rhizomes of this species, from a garden in Nanking, Kiangsi Province,

China, were sent to the United States

Department of Agriculture by the

writer in 1926. They gave rise to

rooted plants that survived quarantine

and ultimately became established as

P. I. No. 77011 at the Garden.

Shoot initiation begins in early midseason. The shoots are very palatable,

being relatively free from acridity, or

"bite," even in the raw state {13).

Culms of this bamboo were included

(under the name Í'. flexitosa) in studies
38 AGR. HANDBOOK 114, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

FiGURK 27.—Phy/lostachys glauca (P. I. No.

77011): Innfr (left) and (nilrr (right) aspects of the culm sheath, showing the

sheath blade and ligule. ( P'rom McClure

¿71 Journal of the Arnold Arhoretum.)

on seasoning and physical properties

carried out at Clemson Agricultural

College of South Carolina (3).

P. glauca is very limited in its distribution, and apparently is not listed

by any nursery. It has not been tried

as far north as Washington, D. C, and

its minimum temperature tolerance is

not known.

Phyllostachys niakinoi Hayata, Icon.

PI. Formosa 5:250. 1915.

Makino bamboo.

(Figs. 28 and 29.)

Culms up to 60 ft. and inore in

height and 2% in. in diameter 3 ft.

above the ground (teste Hayata), up

to 12 ft. high and % in. in diameter

in 4-year-old plants, stiffly erect; internodes pale green with purplish-brown

spots just above the nodes, glabrous

and glaucous throughout at sheath-fall,

the covering of powder densest, but not

sharply zoned, just below each node

and gradually thinner downward, rapidly becoming thicker throughout the

internode immediately after sheath-fall,

giving a pale, blue-green overall eflPect,

nodal ridges and sheath scars of moderate prominence, the latter thin, without hairs; culm sheaths of pale green,

glabrous, sparsely to somewhat densely

strewn with dusky or smoky-brown

spots, white powder barely perceptible

or none; auricles and oral setae lacking; ligules truncate, prominently

fringed with dark bristles (red when

fresh), dark brown when dry; sheath

blades lance-shaped to strap-shaped,

spreading in the lower sheaths to

broadly arched or drooping in the upper ones, pale green, sometimes more

or less strongly tinted with wine, with

a broad white or creain border; leaf

sheaths bearing auricles and oral setae;

FIGURE 28.—Phyllostachys mak-inoi: Hayata's

original illustration of the apex of the

culm sheath—outer (a) and inner (6) aspects. (From Icones Plantarum Formosanarum, vol. 6, fig. 52, p. 142. 1916.

Scale added.)
BAMBOOS OF THE GENUS PHYLLOSTACHYS 39

¿\

FIGURE 29.—Phyllostnchys makinoi (P. I.

No. 195284): Outer (left) and inner

(right) aspects of a representative culm

sheath from a young plant at the Garden.

ligules well developed, pale green to

smoky.

This description was drawn up principally on the basis of young plants at

the Garden under P. I. No. 195284 introduced from Formosa in 1951.

From P. bambusoides, with which

it was earlier confused in Formosa, P.

makinoi is easily distinguishable by

having its culin internodes glaucous at

sheath-fall, the surface of the culm internodes pigskinlike and the ligule of

the culm sheath more densely fimbriate.

The young plants of P. makinoi at the

Garden closely resemble the young

plants of P. viridis and may prove to

belong to that species when they have

reached a more mature stature.

During World War II culms of P.

makinoi were imported into this country from Formosa for rug poles and material for making split bamboo fishing

rods. For the latter purpose, however,

there is really no satisfactory substitute for the Tonkin cane (Arundinaria

amahilis McClure).

Shoot initiation begins at midseason.

P. makinoi has not been distributed

for trial in the United Slates.

Phyllostaehys ni e y e r i McClure,

Wash. Acad. Sei. Jour. 35: 286.

1945.

(Figs. 30 and 31.)

Culms up to 32 ft. lOi/o in. tall and

1% in. in diameter at the base, erect,

straight or nearly so, rarely somewhat

flexuose at the nodes near the base, not

appreciably affected during growth by

stronger light from one side; internodes (No. 1: 1 in. long; No. 5: 6% inlong; No. 8—the longest in a culm 32

ft. 101/2 in. long, with 55 internodes—

14 in. long) green, perceptibly glaucous especially below the nodes at

sheath-fall, entirely glabrous, not at all

ribbed-striate; nodal ridges inoderately

prominent; sheath scars about as proininent as the nodal ridges, thin, sharp,

fringed with minute white hairs; culm

sheaths greenish buff, spotted and more

or less blotched with small brown areas,

perceptibly glaucous, fringed along the

base with a narrow band of small white

hairs, otherwise entirely glabrous even

on the margins; auricles and oral setae

none; ligules exserted, of medium

length, the apex convex with a hump in

the middle, often slightlv asymmetrical,

the margin ciliate at first, soon glabrescent and sinooth; sheath blade lanceshaped to narrowly strap-shaped, very

long in the niidportion of the culm,

broadly arched, more or less wavy to

slightly crinkled; leaf sheaths with

auricles and oral setae usually weak or

lacking; ligules prominently exserted,

the apex strongly convex, the margin

glabrous or sparsely ciliolate, delicate

and frangible when dry; leaf blades up

to 6 in. and more in length and 114 in.

broad, commonly 3 or 4 in.Xl/^ to

•'4 ill., densely pilose at the base and

decreasingly so toward the apex on the

lower surface.
40 AGR. HANDBOOK 114, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

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FIGURE 30.—PhyUostachys incyeri (P. I. No. 116768) : Fielil sketch ot a young shoot from

the Garden.

P. meyeri is most apt to be confused

with P. aurea and P. propinqua. P.

meyeri may be distinguished from P.

aurea by the longer, humped, less proininently fringed ligule of the culm

sheath, and from P. propinqua by the

presence of the fringe of white hairs on

the border of the base of the culm

sheath. P. propinqua has more lustrous culm sheaths than P. meyeri,

with blades relatively smaller in all dimensions.

P. meyeri was obtained in the vicinity of Tang-si, Chekiang Province,
BAMBOOS OF THE GENUS PHYLLOSTACHYS 41

China, by Frank N. Meyer in 1907. It

is growing at the Garden under P. I. No.

116768.

Shoot initiation begins at midseason.

Culms of this bamboo were included

in studies on seasoning and physical

])roperties carried out at Clemson Agricultural College of South Carolina (5).

One of the finest, strongest, and most

versatile bamboos of this genus, the

Meyer bamboo has been somewhat

widely distributed for trial in the

I'nited States; it is estimated to have

a minimum temperature tolerance of

X

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FIGURE 31.—Phyllostachys meyeri (P. I. No. 116768) : Apex of culm sheath, showing sheath

blade and ligule.
42 AGK. HANDBOOK 114, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

— 4° F." It is listed by at least three

nurseries (11), and has proved to be

a very satisfactory hedge ])lant (4).

Phyllostachys iiidularia M u n r o ,

Gard. Chron. (n. s.) 6: 773. 1876.

(Figs. 32 and 33.)

Culms up to 33 ft. tall and 1% in. in

diameter at the base, straight and erect,

occasionally more or less sinuous, often

more or less arched under the weight

of the foliage, not appreciably affected

during growth by stronger light from

one side; internodes (No. 1: % in.

long; No. 5: 7 in. long; No. 14—the

longest in a culm 28 ft. 8 in. long, with

46 internodes—15% in. long) green,

copiously and more or less loosely farinose at sheath-fall, glabrous or (very

rarely) sparsely retrorse setulose below the nodes, soon glabrescent, usually

more or less conspicuously ribbed, the

lower ones sometimes solid or nearly

so ; nodal ridges very broad and prominently salient; sheath scars thick,

strongly flared, conspicuously fringed

at first with long brown hairs; (glabrous in cv. Smoothsheath ) ; culm

sheaths olive green to pale green and

white, the lower ones usually streaked

vertically with these tints and with

wine, loosely farinose near apex and

base, retrorse hirsute with shaggy

brown hairs near the base, glabrous

elsewhere on the back in the typical

form of the species (glabrous throughout in cv. Smoothsheath), the margins

ciliate; auricles very large, ventricose,

often more or less crinkled, clasping,

sometimes broadly falcate; oral setae

few, small, distant, inconspicuous,

ligules completely covered by the sheath

blade, short, the apex slightly to

strongly convex, rarely almost straight,

sometimes more or less asymmetrical,

the margin densely white ciliolate;

sheath blades large, appressed, more or

less inflated, broadly spear-shaped, continuous below on either side into the

auricles; leaf sheaths usually with

auricles and oral setae weakly devel-

" Data from files of Plant Introduction

Section.

oped or lacking; ligules very short, not

exserted, leaf blades up to 5% in. long

and ly^g in. broad, more commonly 3

or 4 in. long and % in. broad, glabrous or nearly so on the lower surface.

This species is strongly characterized

by very prominent culm nodes, by large

and distinctively shaped culm sheath

blades, and by large ventricose auricles.

Therefore, it is not apt to be confused

in the field with any other bamboo

known at present.

The typical form is represented at

the Garden by P. I. Nos. 63696, 63697

63757, 66786, 67399, 128769, 128772

128779, and 128812, sent in by the

writer from various parts of China

Vernacular ( Cantonese ) names are re

corded as follows: Taai Ngaan Chuk

( Big-noded bamboo ), Kan Chuk ( Bam

boo - with - slender-indeterminate -rhi

zomes ), So Pa Chuk ( Broom bamboo )

Kam Sz Chuk (Golden Silk bamboo—a

fanciful name alluding to the anthers

of the flowering plant), and Pat Sun

Chuk (Bamboo-with-shoots-shapedlike-a-writing-brush ).

Considerable variation in culm-wall

thickness has been observed in plants

of P. nidularia. In P. I. Nos. 66786

and 67399, for example, culms frequently occur with the lower internodes

solid or semisolid, and with an inner

zone of pith parenchyma poor in fibrovascular bundles or lacking them entirely. In these culms the internodes

are often shrunken and more slender

in relation to the nodes. Such culms

show a marked tendency to arch broadly under the weight of their foliage.

Shoot initiation begins at the Garden

in early midseason.

This bamboo supplies the earliest

shoots to the market at Canton, China,

in the spring, at which season "Pat Sun

and chicken" is a popular dish. The

shoots of P. nidularia (P. I. No.

128779) grown at the Garden are entirely without acridity, or "bite," even

in the raw state. Those from P. I. No.

128812 are said to have a flavor, when

cooked, like that of cooked whole hominy {13). The culms of this species
BAMBOOS OF THE GENUS PHYLLOSTACHYS 43

\-

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to

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r. I. S. XIOC. S9710

FIGURE 32.—Phyllostachys nidularia, typical form (P. I. No. 128812) : Young shoots from

the Garden.
44 AGR. HANDBOOK 114, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

FicuKE 33.—I-'hylloslachys nidiilaria, typical fiirni (P. I. No. 6.36%) : Outer (left) and inner

(right) aspects of the apex of the culm sheath.

are strong and generally useful in the

natural state but do not split well.

Culms of F. nidiilaria ( under P. I.

No. 63697) were included in studies

on seasoning and physical properties

carried out at Clemson Agricultural

College of South Carolina {3).

The plant is very limited in its distribution and apparently is not listed

by any nursery. Its ininimum temperature tolerance is not known. The

vigor of plants of this species and their

widespread occurrence in China, both

in the wild and in cultivation, indicate

this species is worthy of trial for soil

and water stabilization on watersheds

and levees and for the production of

edible shoots, which are among the best

for flavor.

Phyllostachys nidularia cv.

SMOOTHSHEATH (new cultivar).

The cultivar is characterized by a

lack of the shaggy brown retrorse

pubescence that clothes the basal |)art

of the culm sheaths and the sheath scars

in the typical form of the species.

This "small bamboo with edible

shoots" occurs wild on Cheung-chow

(an island in the West River), Teng

District, Kwangsi Province, China,

where it is known as "Chan Chuk"'

(Cantonese). Propagating material

was sent in by the writer in 1924, and
BAMBOOS OF THE GENUS PHYLLOSTACHYS 45

a colony under P. I. No. 128776 is

under cultivalioii at the Garden. Shoot

initiation begins in early niidseason.

P. indularia cv. Smoothsheath is very

limited in its distribution and apparently is not listed by any nursery. Its

minimum temperature tolerance is not

known.

Phyllostachys nigra (Lodd.)

Munro, Linn. Soc. Trans. 26:

38. 1868.

Black bamboo; Kuro-Chiku

(Japanese) .^

(Figs. 34 and 35.)

Bambusa nigra Lodd. ex Lindl.,

Penny Cyclop. 3:357. 1835.

Phyllostachys puberula var. nigra

H. de Leh., Cong. Internatl. Bot.

3, Actes 2: 223. 1912.

Culms up to 25 ft. 11 in. tall and 11/4

in. in diameter (larger in cv. Bory and

cv. Henon) ; internodes (No. 1: 3% in.

long; No. 5: 81/4 in. long; No. 15—the

longest in a culm of the typical form

25 ft. 11 in. long, with 43 internodes—

12% in. long) green at first in all the

forms (remaining so in cv. Henon, the

lower ones developing a few isolated

purplish to brown spots in cv. Bory),

gradually becoming speckled, then

more or less completely covered, with

purplish to brownish to black spots in

the typical form, more or less copiously and loosely farinose at sheathfall, of variable vesture, often sparsely

to densely setulose (almost velvety) at

first, then glabrescent, sometimes glabrous from the first ( especially in small

culms), the surface usually smooth but

sometimes perceptibly ribbed-striate;

nodal ridges moderately prominent;

sheath scars about as prominent as the

nodal ridges, thin, usually flared, glabrous or fringed with brown hairs;

culm sheaths greenish buff to pale buff

to ruddy buff, not at all maculate, usually more or less generally but sparsely

pubescent with erect hairs; sheath

blades broadly to narrowly triangular,

LU

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p. I, S. NEC. 37330

' Common names of the typical form.

FIGURE 34.—Phyllostachys nigra, typical form

(P. 1. No. 66784) : Young shoots from the

Garden.

boat-shaped, more or less wavy, increasingly so in larger culms, appressed

in the lower sheaths, spreading away

from the culm in the upper ones; leaf

sheaths with auricles and oral setae

usually weak or lacking; ligules very

short, scarcely exserted; leaf blades

commonly up to 3% in. long and up

to 1/2 in. broad, exceptionally up to 5
46 AGR. HANDBOOK 114, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

FIGURE 35.—Phvllostachvs nigra, typical form

(P. I. No. 66784) : Inner (left) and outer

(right) aspects of the apex of culm sheaths.

in. long and % in. broad, usually glabrous or nearly so, rarely sparsely to

densely pilose throughout on the lower

surface.

Owing to the distinctive coloration

of the older culins in the typical form,

F. nigra is not likely to be confused in

the field with any other species. The

typical form is represented at the Garden by colonies under P. I. Nos. 49505,

66784, 75159, and 77259. Its original

home is China; it was introduced into

Japan at an early, apparently unrecorded date.

P. nigra is a favorite garden ornamental in China and Japan, and those

who have seen it in Western gardens

are charmed by the graceful habit of

the plant and by the sharp accent of

color provided by the culms in a suitable setting. The wood is hard enough

for substantial cabinet work and it is

very cleverly used by oriental cabinet

makers for decorative panels and inlays, as well as for interior finish.

Freeman-Mitford (2) (writing in England) says: "All sun-worshippers, who

wing their flight southward with the

swallows, know the Black Bamboo as

one of the chief ornaments which grace

the gardens of the Riviera."

CuliTis of the typical form of the

species (under P. I. Nos. 49505, 66784,

and 77259 ) were included in studies on

seasoning and physical properties carried out at the Clemson Agricultural

College of South Carolina (3).

Shoot initiation begins at late midseason.

The Black bamboo is somewhat

widely, but very sparsely distributed in

cultivation in the United States; it is

offered by at least five nurseries (11).

Its miniinum temperature tolerance is

estimated at 0° F.''^ It appears to be

hardy at Glenn Dale, Md., and in Washington, D. C, but is slow in attaining

its maximum height at this latitude.

Phyllostachys nigra (Lodd.)

Munro CV. BoRY McClure, Arnold Arboretum Jour. 37: 195.

1956.

Unmon-Chiku (Japanese).

P. horyana Mitf., Garden 47: 3.

1895.

P. puberula var. boryana Makino,

Bot. Mag. Tokyo 14: 64. 1900.

P. nigra henonis forma boryana

Makino, Bot. Mag. Tokyo 28:

26. 1912.

The Bory bamboo differs from the

typical form in the larger ultimate size

and more erect habit of its culms and

in the development of a few, scattered

purplish to brown spots, instead of the

black spots that ultimately more or less

completely cover the lower internodes

in the typical form.

The Bory bamboo is represented at

the Garden by plants received from

Gaston Negre, Generargues, France, in

1928, and accessioned as P. I. No.

77258. It probably is of Chinese origin, but satisfactory documentation of

this has not been found.

Shoot initiation begins late.

" ' Data from files of Plant Introduction

Section.
BAMBOOS OF THE GENUS PHYLLOSTACHYS 47

Bory bamboo is extremely limited in

distribution in the United States; apparently it has not been listed by any

nursery in recent years. Its minimum

temperature tolerance is unknown, but

it probably is not far from 0° F. under

otherwise favorable conditions.

Phyllostachys nigra (Lodd.)

Munro cv. HENON McClure,

Arnold Arboretum Jour. 37:

194. 1956.

Ha-Chiku (Japanese).

Bambusa puberula Miq., Mus. Bot.

Lugd. Batav. Ann. Ill, 2: 285.

1866.

Phyllostachys puberula (Miq.)

Munro, Gard. Chron. (n. s.) 6:

773. 1876.

P. henonis Mitf., Garden 47: 3.

1895.

P. nigra var. henonis (Mitf.) Stapf

ex. Rendle, Linn. Soc. Bot.

Jour. 36:443. 1904.

The Henon bamboo differs from the

black-stemmed typical form in the lack

of color markings on the green internodes of its culms and branches. It is

larger in ultimate stature, but apparently does not differ from the typical

form by any character of a strictly

morphological nature.

This bamboo is native to southern

China, whence it was introduced into

Japan at an early, apparently unrecorded date.

The original colony is growing at the

Garden under P. I. No. 24761. This

introduction was received from the

Yokohama Nursery Co., Yokohama,

Japan, in 1909. The Henon bamboo

is also represented at the Garden by

the following introductions : P. I. 66787

from plants growing wild in Kwangtung

Province, China, and sent in by the

writer in 1926; P. I. No. 75158 from

Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, England,

1927.

Freeman-Mitford (2, p. 151) sums

up his estimate of this bamboo in these

words: "" * * this is in my eyes the

most beautiful member of a beautiful

family * * * It is to its habit that

Phyllostachys Henonis owes its surpassing loveliness. The two-year-old

culms, burthened with the weight of

their own leaves clustering in triplets

and borne upon innumerable branchlets, bend almost to the earth in graceful curves, forming a groundwork of

most elegant beauty, from which the

stems of the year spring up in slight

zigzag, arching over at the top and

waving their feathery fronds, the delicate green leaves seeming to lloat in

the air. It must be from this quality

that it derives its Japanese name HACHIKU, the two Chinese characters

with which it is written signifying 'light

or volatile bamboo.' "

Mitford's description was based on

4-year-old plants that were only 8 feet

tall. Those who have had a glimpse

of it in a fully developed state will remember the lienon bamboo as a giant

with an appearance quite different from

that portrayed by Mitford. A thriving clump well past its juvenile stage

will show its culms strictly upright in

habit, 20 to 50 ft. or more in height

and 2 to 3 inches or more in diameter,

with the lower one-half or two-thirds

of the height free of branches. Looking upward from within the clump, one

sees a canopy of green foliage supported on innumerable slender pillars.

Young culms are rough to the touch,

until the short stiff hairs fall away from

the surface; freshly divested of their

protecting sheaths they show a surface

bright green, perceptibly dimmed by a

thin film of white powder. In age, the

])owder, now offwhite, all but obscures

the original green, or where sun and

rain beat upon the culms and swaying

leafy branches sweep their surfaces, a

rich lustrous golden hue may be revealed.

As compared with mature culms, the

young shoots are quite distinctive and

infinitely more spectacular in their appearance, which they derive principally

from the enveloping sheaths. The

sheaths are an unspotted tawny hue,

tinted with wine, and softened by an

inconspicuous coat of spreading brown
48 AGR. HANDBOOK 114, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

hairs. The sheath blade stands at the

top, flanked at its base by a pair of

well-developed dusky auricles fringed

with lavender bristles. Pressed against

the culm or slightly spreading, the durable and persistent sheath blade suggests a bright, krislike (wavy) dagger.

As its functions are completed, each

sheath, in turn, takes on a light-tan

color, beginning along the upper margins as the tissues dry. Presently it

falls to the ground, revealing its polished inner surface and leaving behind

the fresh and spotless green internodes

of the young culm.

The hardiness of the Henon bamboo

impressed Mitford, who says "droughty

summers have not been able to parch

it, ice-bound winters have failed to

starve it; and now, in the month of

January, 1896, it is as green as in midsummer."

Shoot initiation begins late. The

fact that the new growth begins so late

in the season allows it generally to

escape damage from cold. The edible

shoots have a considerable amount of

acridity, or "bite," in the raw state and

must be parboiled in at least two

changes of well-salted water. However, they give off an agreeable fragrance during and after cooking {13].

Culms of Henon bamboo ( under P. 1.

No. 24761) were included in studies on

seasoning and physical properties carried out at Clemson Agricultural College of South Carolina {3).

Although the results of trials made in

this country are incomplete and still

inconclusive, it seems likely that this

cultivar will prove to be among the

hardiest of the phyllostachids. It is

hardy at Glenn Dale, Md., and its minimum temperature tolerance has been

estimated at —4° F.'^ This bamboo

has been rather widely distributed for

trial and is listed by at least three

nurseries (77).

During World War 11 culms of this

bamboo were subjected to comparative

tests, along with 11 other species representing 4 distinct genera, as material

for making laminated (hexagonal) ski

poles. The following is quoted from

the report on these tests (6) : "In

pound-resistance and fracture characteristics, this bamboo showed performance under test somewhat superior to

that of Ph. bambusoides. In manufacture, the prominence of the nodes is

sufficient to involve some weakening of

the 'enamel' when the nodes are

sanded."

Phyllostachys nuda McClure, Wash.

Acad. Sei. Jour. 35:288. 1945.

(Figs. 36 and 37.)

Culms up to 25 ft. tall and 11/4 in.

in diameter at the base; internodes

^' Data from files of Plant Introduction

Section.

1'. I. S. NEG. S76S9

FIGURE 36.—Phyllostachys nuda (P. I. No.

103938) : Young shoots near Glenn Dale,

Md.
BAMBOOS OF THE GENUS PHYLLOSTACHYS 49

m%^

FIGURE 37.—Phyllostachys nuda (P. I. No.

103938): Outer (above) and inner (below) aspects of the apex of culm sheaths.

(No. 1: 2 in. long; No. 5: 61/4 in.

long; No. 13—the longest in a culm 16

ft. long, with 44 internodes—71/2 in.

long) green, copiously and loosely

farinose at sheath-fall, entirely glabrous, perceptibly ribbed-striate; nodal

ridges rather prominent, the lower ones

tinted with wine at first; sheath scars

about as ¡jrominent as the nodal ridges,

entirely glabrous; culm sheaths grayish

wine, farinose, scabrous but not pubescent, the margins glabrous, basal ones

blotched with wine, the upper ones immaculate; auricles and oral setae lacking; ligules strongly exserted. the apex

truncate, the margin ciliate; sheath

blades relatively short, narrowly triangular to lance-shaped, crinkled, spreading away from the culm; leaf sheaths

without auricles and oral setae; ligules

prominently exserted, the apex strongly

convex, the margin minutely ciliolate

at first; leaf blades up to 6 in. long and

% in- broad, commonly 3 to 4 in. long

and % to 1/2 in. broad, antrorsely scabrous throughout and sparsely hirsute

basally on the lower surface.

"Nuda" alludes to the absence of

auricles and oral setae in both culm

sheath and leaf sheath.

/ *. nuda is perhaps most apt to be

confused with P. arcana, from which it

may be distinguished readily by the

truncate ligule of its culm sheath.

P. nuda is native to Tang-si, Chekiang Province. China, whence it was introduced by Frank N. Meyer in 1908.

It is growing at the Garden under P. I.

No. 103938.

A large and flourishing colony of

this bamboo is under cultivation in the

garden at the residence of George M.

Darrow, near the Plant Introduction

Garden at Glenn Dale, Md. The culms

have been variously employed by Dr.

Darrow about the premises for temporary structures such as arbors, trellises,

fences, and garden stakes, while the

shoots harvested to hold the colony in

check find a welcome ]jlace in the family menu. The shoots of this bamboo,

when small (4 to 6 inches long) are

only slightly acrid and among the best

known to the writer. This species ap-

¡lears to be very hardy, the plants at

the Darrow place having been seriously

injured by cold only a few times during

the last 25 years. Its minimum temperature tolerance is probably a little

below 0° F. under otherwise favorable

conditions.

Culms of this bamboo were included

in studies on seasoning and physical

properties carried out at Clemson Agricultural College of South Carolina i 3).

P. nuda is still very limited in its distribution and apparently has not been

listed by any nursery.

Phyllostachys propinqua McClure,

Wash. Acad. Sei. Jour. 35: 289.

1945.

(Figs. 38 and 39.)

Culms up to 23 ft. 4 in. tall and 11/4

in. in diameter; internodes (No. 1: 2-y^

in. long; No. 5: 6% '"• long; No. 11—

the longest in a culm 23 ft. 4 in. long,

with 46 internodes—IOI/4 in. long)
50 AGR. HANDBOOK 114, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

FIGURE 38.—Phy/lo.stachys propinqua (P. I.

No. 76649) : Young shoots from the Garden.

green, faintly glaucous at sheath-fall,

entirely glabrous, not ribbed-striate ;

nodal ridges moderately prominent;

sheath scars about as prominent as the

nodal ridges, thin, glabrous; culm

sheaths pale olive with green veins, lustrous with a bronzy sheen, sparsely covered with small brown spots, entirely

glabrous, even on the margins; auricles

and oral setae lacking; ligules weakly

developed, the apex convex, with a

hump in the middle, the margin glabrous or weakly ciliolate; sheath blades

green with a very narrow white border,

all tinted with wine, lance-shaped to

ribbon-shaped, reflexed, not crinkled or

only slightly so; leaf sheaths with auricles and oral setae of variable occurrence and development, often lacking;

ligules strongly exserted, the apex

strongly convex, the margin irregular,

minutely ciliolate; leaf blades rarely up

to TY2 X ^Vie in-5 commonly 3 to 5 in.

long and ^g to % in. broad, usually

more or less perceptibly scabrous, especially toward the base, on the lower

surface.

This species is most apt to be confused with /''. meyeri from which it may

be distinguished by the absence of the

narrow line of white hairs that is always found along the base of the culm

sheath and on the sheath scar of P.

meyeri.

Propagating material of P. propinqua was obtained by the writer in 1928

from the wilds along the West River,

near Wuchow, Kwangsi Province,

China. It is represented at the Garden

by P. I. No. 76649.

Shoot initiation begins at late midseason.

Culms of this bamboo were included

in studies on seasoning and physical

]5roperties carried out at Clemson Agricultural College of South Carolina (3).

P. propinqua apparently is practically unknown in cultivation outside

the Garden, and the flavor qualities of

the shoots have not been studied.

FIGURE 39.—Phyllostachys propinqua (P. I.

No. 76649) : Outer (center) and inner aspects of the apex of culm sheaths.
BAMBOOS OF THE GENUS PHYLLOSTACHYS 51

Phyllostachys pubescens Mazel ex.

H. de Leh., Bambou, p. 7.

1906; McClure, Arnold Arboreturn Jour. 37: 189. 1956.

Moso-Chiku (Japanese).

(Figs. 40 and 41.)

P. edulis H. de Leh., Bambou, p.

39. 1906.

1'. mitis of Japanese authors writing at the turn of the century.

Culms up to 38 ft. 81/; in. tall and

4 in. in diameter at the base in plants

growing at the Garden (elsewhere in

the Southern States attaining heights

up to 70 ft. with commensurate diameter I, strongly tapered, straight and

erect or more commonly more or less

curved, suberect and broadly arched at

the tip, often emerging from the ground

perceptibly off perpendicular, then

curving upward to become erect or

nearly so; internodes (No. 1: 2 in.

long; No. 5: nearly 4 in. long; No. 26—

the longest in a culm 38 ft. 8V2 in. long,

with 63 internodes—12 in. long) pale

green, densely velvety throughout at

first, gradually glabrescent, sometimes

perceptibly ribbed, sometimes iloccoseI

u

Z

>

LU

5

P. I. S. NlrX. 4:!562

FltURE 40.—Phyllostachys pubescens I P. I.

No. 80034) : Young shoot, Komazawa,

Tokyo, Japan.

farinose at first and gray at length with

accumulated waxlike powdery exúdate;

nodal ridges nearly obsolete at unbranched nodes; sheath scars marked

at first by a prominent fringe of brown

hairs, not prominently dared; culm

sheaths greenish-smoky buff, densely

maculate with dark brown, abundantly

glaucous, densely strewn throughout

with brown erect hairs, densely ciliate

on the margins; auricles strongly developed, falcate, dark purplish to

brown, fringed with numerous coarse,

very long, wavy oral setae; ligules long,

exserted. narrowly convex at the apex,

laciniate and fringed on the margin

with long, coarse, dark, scabrous

bristles; sheath blades lance-shaped to

narrowly triangular to nearly strapshaped, rather stiff, green, the lower

ones often somewhat wavy, appressed

to the culm, the upper ones spreading

away from it more or less strongly; leaf

sheaths with auricles and oral setae

usually lacking or the oral setae rarely

2 or 3, small, weak ; ligules very short,

scarcely exserted; leaf blades up to 5 in.

X % in., more commonly 2 or 3 inches

long and % to Vi; in- broad, glabrous

or nearly so except at the very base on

the lower surface.

The combination of unusually small

leaves, velvety culm internodes, strongly

tapered culms, and relatively short

lower internodes sets this bamboo off

very effectively from all other known

members of the genus.

Native to the warm temperate parts

of China, where it is known as Mo Chu

(Hairy Bamboo) and Mau Chu

(Lance Bamboo ), !'. pubescens was introduced into Japan via the Rvukyu Islands about 1738. From Japan it

reached Europe about 1880, and about

10 years later a successful introduction

was accomplished by an importer on

the west coast of the I'nited States.

From a plant of this introduction several colonies were subsequently developed in Anderson, S. C, by Rufus Fant.

In 1926 Mr. Fant presented rhizomes

from one of these plantings to the

United States Department of Agricul-
52 AGR. HANDBOOK 114, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

FIGURE il.—Phyllostacliys pubescens {P. I. No. 80034) : Outer (left) and inner (right) aspects of the apex of the culm sheath, showing sheath blade, Ugule, and auricles.
BAMBOOS OF THE GENUS PHYLLOSTACHYS 53

ture and a colony was established at

the Garden under P. I. No. 80034.

P. pubcscens is a plant of consummate beauty. The great, broadly

arched culms heavily burdened with

masses of tiny leaves suggest giant palegreen ostrich plumes. It is difficult to

propagate and rather exacting in its

cultural requirements. Though the

wood is relatively soft in texture, the

culms are much used in the Orient

and are perhaps second only to F. bambusoides in their versatility. P. pubescens is used for heavy construction,

cables, well-drilling equipment, tubing

for piping salt brine, water, and gas,

children's toys, mah-jongg tiles, and

tobacco pipes (dwarfed culms). The

rhizomes are commonly used to make

walking sticks and umbrella handles.

Shoot initiation begins early to early

midseason. The young shoots are edible; "winter shoots" in a dormant

state, dug before they have pierced the

surface of the soil, are an oriental delicacy that sells at a premium during the

offseason winter months when they are

the only fresh shoots available. In the

raw state they have a considerable degree of acridity, which must be removed

by boiling in two waters. However,

the shoots give off an agreeable fragrance during and after cooking (13).

Culms of this bamboo were included

in studies on seasoning and physical

properties carried out at Clemson Agricultural College of South Carolina (5).

The minimum temperature tolerance

of P. pubcscens has been estimated at

3° F." In spite of its great value and

popular appeal, this species is still very

limited in its distribution, owing primarily to the difficulty of propagation

and of getting the plants established.

It is listed by at least one nursery (11).

The so-called Tortoise-shell bamboo,

a bizarre form of this species, has attracted much attention and interest in

"^ Data from files of Plant Introduction

Section.

China and Japan since early times. As

much perhaps because of its extreme

rarity as because of its physical ])eculiarities. it has been given numerous

fanciful names, of which "KikkoChiku" is widely current in Japan and

"Lohan Chu" in China.

This curiosity occurs only in the

midst of a grove of normal culms and

makes its appearance as isolated culms,

the lower part of which is characterized by oblique nodes and asymmetrically shortened internodes with a bulge

on one side and a hollow on the other.

Above this abnormal part, which is

usually several feet long and unbranched, the internodes revert to their

normal expression.

In the Orient these abnormal culms

are always collected for decorative or

magical purposes. In the dried state

they often become objects of veneration

and are enshrined behind an incense

bowl. In the living condition they are

often transplanted to gardens where,

with proper care, they may remain an

ornament for many years. They do

not reproduce themselves, however.

A living example of this curious form

was obtained from the Yokohama

Nursery Co. by the I'nited States Department of Agriculture in 1931. The

plant was accessioned as P. I. No. 93224

with the name "PhyUostachys edulis

heterocycla." It remained alive under

cultivation at the Garden until some

time during the early 1940"s, when it

finally died after a period of decline

lasting several years.

PhyUostachys purpúrala McClure,

Lingnan Iniv. Sei. B. 9: 43.

1940.

(Figs. 42 and 43.1

Culms up to 18 ft. 4 in. tall and % in.

in diameter at the base (about the

same in cv. Solidstem, and up to 33 ft.

4 in. tall and P/i; in. in diameter at the

base in cv. Straightstem) weak,

arched broadly to one side and

strongly llexuose (zigzag), more espe-
54 AGK. HANDBOOK 114. U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

FIGURE 42.—Phyllostachys purpúrala, typical form (P. I. No. 128771) : Brush drawing by

Chinese artist Li T'ang, showing typical branch complement and characteristics of the node

and adjacent internodes.

cially in the branched portion (stiff and

strictly erect in cv. Straightstem) ; internodes (No. 1: 21/8 in. long; No. 5:

6% in. long; No. 18—the longest in a

culm of cv. Straightstem 25 ft. 6 in.

long, with 41 internodes—141/4 in.

long) green, glaucous, glabrous or

(especially 2 or 3 of the basal ones)

weakly pilose, hollow ( in cv. Solidstem

not hollow in the basal l/j to % of the

culm) ; nodal ridges narrow, rather

prominent (much less so in the cvs.

Straightstem and Solidstem); sheath

scars glabrous, moderately thick and
BAMBOOS OF THE GENUS PHYLLOSÏACHYS 55

FIGURE 43.—Phrltosiuchys purpúrala, typical

form (P. I. No. 128771) : Apex of culm

sheath, the purple sheath blade shown in

black.

slightly flared; culm sheaths glabrous,

green or more or less stained with wine,

not spotted, often glaucous, especially

near the base; auricles weakly developed, purplish; oral setae few, weak or

lacking; ligules short, weakly convex at

the apex, ciliolate or fringed with weak

bristles on the margin ; sheath lilades

broad to narrow, triangular, boatshaped, appressed to the culm, often

somewhat wavy, characteristically

tinted with |)urple throughout (green

or nearly so in cvs. Straightstem and

Solidstem I ; leaf sheaths usually lacking auricles and oral setae; ligules very

short, scarcely exserted; leaf blades

commonly 2 to 3 in. long and % to %

in. broad, glabrous or nearly so on

the lower surface.

From the general similarity of the

culm sheaths, the several forms of this

species are most apt to be confused with

/'. congesta, from which they may be

distinguished by their weaker, less

strongly ta|)ered culms with longer internodes and the more prominent development of the auricles and oral setae

on the culm sheaths.

The typical form is represented at

the Garden by P. 1. No. 128771 (from

the type plant ) which originated at

Koon-t"aan-haang, Kwangning District,

Kwangtung Province, China. Propagating material was sent in by the

writer in 1938.

The typical form of P. purpúrala is

characterized by slender, more or less

strongly zigzag culms with rather long

internodes alternately twisted in opposite directions. The culms, prominently

glaucous at sheath-fall, are relatively

weak (not stiff), with conspicuously

large nodes bearing subhorizontal

branches. Under favorable conditions

the culms may reach a height of 18 ft.

and a diameter of % in- The young

shoots present a striking and characteristic appearance, the pale glaucousgreen culm sheaths providing a pleasing foil for the dark purplish-wine, narrowly triangular, appressed sheath

blades. The culm sheaths have the

auricles and oral setae usually weakly

developed, sometimes almost wholly

lacking.

Shoot initiation begins at midseason.

The flavor qualities of the typical form

of the species have not been investigated.

]'. purpúrala and its forms are extremely rare in cultivation in the United

States; apparently none of them has

been listed by any nursery.
56 AGR. HANDBOOK 114, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Phyllostachys purpurata McClure

cv. SOLIDSTEM (new cultivar).

Solidstem bamboo is distinguished

from the typical form of 1\ purpurata

by culms with the lower one-half or

more entirely solid and a mature stature

roughly one-half to two-thirds as great.

As in the typical form of the species, isolated culms are frequently bent to the

ground by a stiff wind or by the weight

of the foliage, especially when it is wet.

Propagating material of the type

plant (P. 1. No. 77006) was sent in

by the writer in 1920 from Chiu-hwashan, Anhwei Province, China. Subsequent accessions of this form obtained by the writer in China (1938)

are the following: P. I. No. 128791,

from Lung-chi Mountain, Kiangsu

Province; P. I. Nos. 128800 and 128805

from Mo-hong, Chekiang Province.

All are to be found growing at the

Garden.

Shoot initiation begins at midseason.

In the raw state the shoots have a very

slight degree of acridity, or "bite"

(13).

Culms of this bamboo (under P. I.

No. 77006) were included in studies

on seasoning and physical properties

carried out at Clemson Agricultural

College of South Carolina (3).

This form of the species has proved

to be very satisfactory as a hedge plant

(4). The straight, solid culms supply

scores of needs about the home and

garden.

Phyllostachys purpurata McClure

cv. STRAIGHTSTEM (new cultivar).

(Figs. 44 and 45.)

Straightstem differs from the typical

form of P. purpúrala in attaining a

larger stature, with culms exceeding 30

ft. in height and P/i; in. in diameter,

and in being stiffer and more erect,

v/ith the unbranched nodes less prominent. Its culm sheath blades are less

strongly tinted with wine. This color,

being more generally diffused throughout the sheath, never completely obscures the green in the sheath blade

as it often does in the typical form of

the species.

Propagating material of P. I. No.

77001, type plant, was sent by the

writer from Tai-hoh-hau, Anhwei Province, China, in 1927. P. I. No. 116711,

included in the same shipment, was obtained at Chiu-hwa-shan, in the same

province. P. I. No. 128792 from

Lung-chi Mountain and 128797 from

I-hing, Kiangsu Province, China, were

sent in by the writer in 1938. These

are all growing at the Garden.

Shoot initiation begins at midseason.

The flavor qualities of the shoots of

Straightstem have not been investigated.

Culms of this bamboo (under P. I.

No. 116711) were included in studies

on seasoning and physical properties

carried out at Clemson Agricultural

College of South Carolina (3).

Phyllostachys rubromarginata McClure, Lingnan Univ. Sei. B. 9:

44. 1940.

(Figs. 46 and 47.)

Culms up to 31 ft. 6 in. tall and I14

in. in diameter at the base, erect, nearly

straight to rather strongly curved

throughout; internodes (No. 1: 4% in.

long; No. 5: 12% in. long; No. 10—

the longest in a culm 31 ft. 6 in. long,

with 41 internodes—15-^ in. long) pale

green and not conspicuously glaucous

at sheath-fall, gradually and imperceptibly becoming coated with wax,

then gray to yellowish gray in age, in

slender culms glabrous, in larger ones

sparsely strewn with minute, retrorse,

white bristles barely perceptible to the

touch and almost invisible to the naked

eye, later glabrescent, cylindrical or

nearly so above unbranched (budless)

nodes in small culms but often somewhat asymmetrically bulging and

curved in large culms; nodal ridges

narrow, only slightly elevated; sheath
BAMBOOS OF THE GENUS PHYLLOSTACIIYS 57

to

LU

I

u

z

O

FIGURE 44.—Phyllostachys purpúrala cv, Slraiglilstem (P. 1. No. 116711)

young shoots from the Garden.

^. NEGS. 37345, 3734G

Small culm and
58 AGR. HANDBOOK 114, U. S« DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

FIGURE 45.—Phyllostachjs purpurata cv. Straightstem (P. I. No. 116711) :

inner (right) aspects of the culm sheath, showing sheath blade, ligule,

Outer (left) and

and auricles.

scars sharp, clean, glabrous, not much

flared; culm sheaths olive green to buff,

often more or less striped or stained on

the back and bordered on the upper

margins with red, not spotted, entirely

glabrous on the back and margins, not

glaucous; auricles and oral setae none;

ligules very dark red when fresh, short,

truncate or slightly concave, and often

more or less asymmetrical at the apex,

white ciliolate on the margin and

backed with red, scabrous bristles, the

middle ones longest; sheath blades narrowly triangular to ribbon-shaped, appressed in lower sheaths, spreading

more or less broadly away from the

culms in upper ones, not at all crinkled ;

leaf sheath with small auricles

fringed with oral setae; ligules exserted, fringed on the margin with long,

dark red cilia; leaf blades rather large,

up to 6V2 in. long and nearly 1 in.

broad, commonly 4 or 5 in. long and

% to % in. broad, scabrous along the

midrib on the upper surface, sparsely

pilose to glabrous on the lower surface.

Owing to the combination of characters (long slender culm internodes, unspotted and unstriped culm, sheaths

lacking auricles and oral setae, and the
BAMBOOS OF THE GENUS PHYLL0ÖTAC11YS 59

CO

LU

I

u

z

O

r. I. s. N'Er.s. 3T;íG5,

FIGURE 46.—PhyUustachys rabromarginata (P. I. No. 77000) : Culm and young shoots from

the Gartien.
60 AGE. HANDBOOK 114, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

A

m i te

FIGURE 47.—Phyllostachys rubromarginata

(P. I. No. 67398) : Outer (left) and inner

(right) aspects of the apex of the culm

sheath.

red-fringed ligules of the culm sheath

and leaf sheath I. this bamboo is not

a)3t to be confused with any other

known species of the genus.

This species is represented at the

Garden by colonies under P. I. Nos.

66902, 67398, and 77000. all obtained

by the writer from different localities

in southern China.

Shoot initiation begins late in the

season. The shoots (13) have a very

slight degree of acridity, or "bite," in

the raw state. This species is cultivated in China principally for its edible

shoots.

Culms of this bamboo (under P. I.

No. 67398) were included in studies on

seasoning and physical properties carried out at Clemson Agricultural College of South Carolina (.3).

The culms are useful for a number

of ¡jurposes, including garden stakes,

material for basketry, and shepherds'

pipes. The culm sheaths make satisfactory covers for the block-print maker's baren (8).

This bamboo is still very limited in

its distribution; apparently it is not

listed by any nursery.

Phyllostachys viridi-glaucescens

(Carr.) A. & C. Riv., Soc. Acdim. B. Ser. 3, 5:700. 1878.

(Figs. 48 and 49.)

Bambusa viridi-glaucescens Carr.,

Rev. Hort. 41: 293. 1869.

Culms up to 34 ft. 8 in. tall and 2 in.

in diameter at the base, straight and

erect or nearly so; internodes (No. 1:

2 in. long; No. 5: 6 in. long; No. 18—

the longest in a culm 34 ft. 8 in. long,

with 57 internodes—151^4 in. long)

green, copiously but sometimes unevenly and loosely farinose at sheathfall, entirely glabrous, not ribbed;

nodal ridges prominent; sheath scars

glabrous, weakly flared, about as prominent as the nodal ridges; culm sheaths

])ale buff, tinged with green and strewn

with small brown spots and small

blotches throughout, loosely farinose,

scabrous, and often sparsely setose;

auricles usually 2. sometimes 1. rarely

0, long, narrow, falcate, dark wine, delicate, very frangible when dry; oral

setae few but prominent when the auricles are present, otherwise lacking; ligules rather tall and narrow, often asymmetrical, more or less strongly convex

at the apex, the margin more or less

regular to laciniate. finely to coarsely

ciliate, at length smooth; sheath blades

narrow, ribbon-shaped, reflexed. usually more or less strongly crinkled;

leaf sheaths with auricles and oral setae

usually developed, fugacious; ligules

exserted, soon split and mutilated; leaf

blades 1% X V-i in- to ''% ^ 1 in-, more

commonly 4 to 5 in. long and 1/; to %

in. broad.

P. viridi-glaucescens is perhaps most

apt to be confused with P. elegans,

which differs in the relatively short,

definitely ribbed-striate internodes of its

culm and its much smaller, usually

lance-shaped leaf blades that are pubescent on the lower surface.
BAMBOOS OF THE GENUS PHYLLOSTACHYS 61

p. I. S. NEG. 37341

FIGURE AS.—Phyllostachys viridi-glaucescens (P. I. No. 75160) : Young culm and shoots from

the Garden.
62 AGR. HANDBOOK 114, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

FIGURE 49.—Phyllostachys viridi-glauresrens

(P. I. No. 75160) : Apex of culm shrath,

showing sheath blade, ligule, and auricles.

P. viridi-glaucescens is represented at

the Garden by plants under P. I. Nos.

12.S4H2 and 75160 obtained from the

Royal Botanic Gardens. Kew, England.

According to the Rivières this bamboo

reached France in 1846, having been

imported by Vice-Admiral Count Cecille from its native home in China.

Shoot initiation begins early. The

shoots have been found to have only a

very slight degree of acridity, or "bite,"

in the raw state (7,3).

Culms of this bamboo were not included in the studies on seasoning and

physical properties carried out at

Clemson Agricultural College of South

Carolina, although the name P. viridiglaucescens appears in table 1 (3) in

connection with P. I. No. 128778,

which is P. elegans.

Although this bamboo has very

straight culms of excellent properties

and is a very vigorous and hardy species, with an estimated minimum tem-

))erature tolerance of —4° F.,"' it is

'"Data from files of Plant Introduction

Section.

nowhere abundant in cultivation and

a|i|)arently is not listed by any nur.sery.

Phyllostachys viridis (Young) McClure, Arnold Arboretum Jour.

37: 192. 1956.

(Figs. 50 and 51.)

P. sulphurea var. viridis R. A.

Young, Wash. Acad. Sei. Jour.

37: 345. 1937.

P. milis A. & C. Riv., Soc. Acclim.

B. Ser. 3, 5: 689. 1878 (Description only, excl. syn.)

Culms up to 47 ft. 5 in. tall and 3^/4

in. in diameter at the base (smaller in

cv. Robert Young ), suberect, usually

somewhat curved but not zigzag; internodes (No. 1: 1% in. long; No. 5: 8 in.

long; No. 22—the longest in a culm of

the typical form 47 ft. 5 in. long, with

60 internodes—19 in. long) pale green

( yellow, with green stripes in cv. Robert Young), glabrous, perceptibly glaucous, especially below the nodes, the

surface not at all ribbed-striate but

marked by minute indentations in a

visible pigskinlike pattern perceptible

to the touch; nodal ridges imperceptible or nearly so at unbranched nodes;

sheath scars thin, glabrous, not at all

flared, the nodes marked by a distinctively broad band of white powder;

culm sheaths glabrous, often perceptibly glaucous, light rosy bufï (paler

in cv. Robert Young) the veins green,

often darker than the background,

which is conspicuously spotted with dilute smoky brown; auricles and oral

setae obsolete; ligules truncate in small

culms to strongly convex in large ones,

the margin fringed with scabrous

bristles in small culms, ciliolate to

scabrous in large ones; sheath blades

narrowly triangular to ribbon-shaped,

more or less wavy, not or only slightly

crinkled, usually spreading more or

less strongly away from the culm, the

lower ones usually completely reflexed ;

leaf sheaths with auricles and oral setae
BAMBOOS OF THE GENUS PHYLLOSTACHYS 63

p. I. S. NEC. :i7:i37

FIGURE 50.—Phyllostuchys viridis, typical

form (P. I. No. 772.57) : Young shoots from

tfie Garden.

usually well-developed on young culms,

often lacking in older culms; ligules

well-developed, exserted; leaf blades

commonly 3 to 5 in. long and % to

Yg, rarely 1 in., broad, sometimes pilose

or scabrous on one side, otherwise glabrous or nearly so except at the base on

the lower surface.

P. viridis apparently closely resembles /-*. makinoi, but the original description of the latter is incomplete in

respect to critical characters, and plants

of it at the Garden are still very immature. From the other species of the

genus the typical form of I', viridis is

easily distinguishable by the following

combination of characters: The glabrous, maculate culm sheaths lacking

auricles and oral setae, the obsolete

nodal ridges, the very inconspicuous

sheath scar, the very broad farinose

zone at each culm node, and the pigskinlike surface of the culm internodes.

P. viridis is represented at the Garden by the original colony under P. I.

No. 77257 developed from plants obtained in 1928 from Gaston Negre,

Generargues, France.

Shoot initiation begins at niidseason

and continues longer than in most species of the genus. The shoots have

been found to be free from any unpleasant taste or "bite" even in the raw

state. When cooked they give off an

agreeable fragrance [13).

FlcuKE 51.—Phyllostachys viridis, typiral

form (P. 1. No. 772.57): Apex of culm

sheath, showing sheath blade and ligule.
64 AGR. HANDBOOK 114, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

This species is cultivated in China

both for its highly esteemed edible

shoots and for its culms, which have excellent technical properties.

During World War II culms of this

bamboo were subjected to comparative

tests, along with 11 other species representing 4 distinct genera, as material

for making laminated (hexagonal) ski

poles. The following is quoted from

the report on these tests (6) : "Its performance was well above the minimal

requirements in all of the tests."

Culms of this bamboo ( under the

name P. sulphurea viridis) were included in studies on seasoning and

physical properties carried out at Clemson Agricultural College of South

Carolina (,31.

P. viridis is still very limited in its

distribution. Though it is slow to

spread, it is rather hardy with an estimated minimum temperature tolerance

of 0° F." It is apparently quite hardy

at Glenn Dale, Md., and Washington,

D. C. It has been listed by at least

two nurseries ill).

Phyllostachys viridis (Young) McClure cv. ROBERT YOUNG MCClure, Arnold Arboretum Jour.

37: 195. 1956.

The Robert Young bamboo was identified by Houzeau de Lehaie (5, p. 99,

and elsewhere) as Phyllostachys sulphurea A. & C. Riv., under which name

it has appeared in the records of the

Plant Introduction Section.

Robert Young bamboo differs from

the typical form of the species in having a smaller mature stature and a distinctive coloration. The culms and

branches are at first sulfur green with

darker green stripes on the lower internodes, and a narrow dark-green band

immediately below each sheath scar.

Occasional leaf blades show cream

stripes. The sulfur-green background

gradually turns to old gold and the

green stripes persist. The culm sheaths

are paler than those of the species and

occasionally show a slender green stripe

or two.

From the horticultural form AUgold

of P. bambusoides, which it resembles

somewhat in stature and general appearance, the Robert Young bamboo

may be most readily distinguished by

the pigskinlike surface of its internodes,

a character it has in common with the

typical form of the species.

The Robert Young bamboo is represented at the Garden by the original

colony of P. I. No. 89718 developed

from plants obtained in 1930 from

V. N. Gauntlett & Co., Chiddingfold,

Surrey, England. It also originated

again (personal observation, May

1955 ) from propagules of P. viridis

(P. I. No. 77257) in the nursery at

the Garden.

Shoot initiation begins at midseason.

The flavor qualities of the shoots have

not been studied, but may be assumed

to difl'er little, if any, from those of

the shoots of the typical form.

Culms of this bamboo were included

in studies on seasoning and physical

properties carried out at Clemson Agricultural College of South Carolina [3).

Like the typical form of the species,

the Robert Young bamboo spreads

slowly. Its minimum temperature tolerance is estimated at 5° F.^' It is rare

in cultivation, but it has been listed by

one nursery as P. sulphurea.

Robert A. Young, in whose honor

this bamboo is named, is known

through correspondence to plant experimenters throughout the United

States. As associate horticulturist of

the Department's Plant Introduction

Section he rendered long and much appreciated service in the assembling and

dissemination of useful knowledge pertaining to bamboos and certain other

'' Data from files of Plant Introduction

Section.

" Data from files of Plant Introduction

Section.
BAMBOOS OF THE GENUS PHYLLOSTACHYS 65

groups of plants introduced for trial

in this country.

Phyllostachys viridis (Young) McClure cv. HouzEAU (new cultivar ) .^''

The Houzeau bamboo differs from

the typical form of the species principally in having the sulcus of the (otherwise green I internodes of the culm

greenish yellow in color. One 3-yearold plant has culms about 12 feet tall.

The ultimate stature of mature plants is

as yet unknown.

The Houzeau bamboo is represented

at the Garden by a plant (P. I. No.

2338491 that developed as a spontaneous mutation from a rhizome cutting of the typical form of the species

I P. I. No. 77257). It came to the attention of the writer during a tour of an

experimental planting that was put in

at the Garden in the spring of 1956.

M. Jean Houzeau de Lehaie, in whose

honor this bamboo is named is a Belgian plantsman, the results of whose enthusiastic introduction and study of living bamboos early in the century are

recorded principally in the publication,

Le Bambou (5).

Phyllostachys vivax McClure, Wash.

Acad. Sei. Jour. 35:292. 1945.

(Figs. 52 and 53.)

Culms up to 46 ft. tall, 3% in. in

diameter at the base, erect or nearly

so, more or less perceptibly zigzag,

often somewhat curved; internodes

(No. 1: 2 in. long; No. 5: 7% in.

long; No. 20—the longest in a culm 46

ft. long, with 61 internodes—14% in.

long) green, perceptibly glaucous just

below the nodes at sheath-fall, entirely

glabrous, strongly and irregularly

ribbed-striate; nodes more or less noticeably asymmetrical; nodal ridges of

slight ¡jrominence, about equaling the

^" Having come to light after the text of the

handfjook was prepared, this cultivar is not

incorporated in the key.

sheath scar, or usually a little more

prominent on one side; sheath scars

entirely glabrous; culm sheaths creamy

buff, farinose, maculate with smoky

brown, the lowest spots sometimes almost completely black even on the margins; auricles and oral setae lacking;

ligules relatively short, decurrent, convex at the apex, the margin ciliolate to

setose; sheath blades narrowly triangular to ribbon-shaped, strongly reflexed, very crinkly; leaf sheaths with

or without auricles and oral setae; ligules weakly exserted; leaf blades

1%X% in. to 8X1 in., more commonly 4 to 6 in. long and % to % in.

broad, glabrous or nearly so on the

lower surface.

P. vivax is a strikingly beautiful species. Once it is known, it can be easily

recognized at a distance by its elegant

drooping foliage. There are only

three bamboos of similar stature with

which this species is likely to be confused, P. bambusoides, P. dulcís, and

P. viridis. From P. bambusoides it

may be distinguished by the pendulous

foliage habit, the ribbed internodes

glaucous from the first, the thinner

culm sheaths, the entire lack of auricles, and the very strongly decurrent

culm sheath ligules. From P. dulcis it

may be distinguished by the more erect

habit of the culms, the darker hue of

the culm sheaths, and the entire lack of

auricles on the culm sheaths. From P.

viridis it may be distinguished by its

thinner culm sheaths, the strongly convex and more pronouncedly decurrent

culm sheath ligule, the crinkliness of

the culm sheath blade, the ribbedstriate surface of the culm internodes,

and the dark color of the culm sheaths,

particularly the lowest ones.

P. vivax was obtained in the vicinity

of Tang-si, Chekiang Province, China,

by Frank N. Meyer in 1907. It is

growing in the Garden under P. I. No.

82047.
G6 AGR. HANDBOOK 114, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

LU

I

Z

o

p. I. S. -NEG. 37204

FIGURE 52.—Phyllostachys vivax (P. I. No. 82047) : Young shoots from Avery Island, La.

Two of the lower sheaths have begun to fall away.
BAMBOOS OF THE GENUS PHYLLOSTACHYS 67

Shoot initiation begins early midseason. The shoots have been found

to be entirely free from any unpleasant

taste, or "bite," even in the uncooked

state {13).

Culms of this bamboo were included

in studies on seasoning and physical

properties carried out at Clemson Agricultural College of South Carolina (3).

The plant is extremely vigorous.

The late E. A. Mcllhenny wrote of this

bamboo as follows in a letter '" dated

June 4, 1941 : "The new growth of P. I.

82047 averages ten days or two weeks

earlier than that of P. bambusoides.

The plant is much more vigorous,

reaches maturity much more quickly,

and the culms have much thinner walls

than those of P. bambusoides * * *

When the two were planted side by side

P. I. 82047 completely shaded and

killed the growth of P. bambusoides."

The minimum temperature tolerance of

P. vivax is estimated at 5° F.-" It is

not known to be widely distributed in

cultivation as yet, but it has been listed

by at least three nurseries [11).

FIGURE 53.—Phyllostachys vivax ( P. I. No.

82047) ; Apex of culm sheath, showing

sheath blade and ligule.

"'" Data from files of Plant Introduction

Section.

LITERATURE CITED

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)

(5)

(6)

(7)

(8)

(9)

FAIRCHILD. D. G.

1919. THE BARBOUR LATHROP BAMBOO GROVE. Jour. Hered. 10: 243-249, illus.

FREEMAN-MITFORD, A. B. (often referred to as Mitford or Lord Redesdale.)

1896. THE BAMBOO GARDEN. 224 pp. illus. McMillan Co., London.

GLENN, H. E., BROCK, D. C., BYARS, E. F., and others.

1954. SEASONING, PRESERVATIVE TREATMENT AND PHYSICAL PROPERTY STUDIES OF BAMBOOS. S. C. Agr. Expt. Sta., Engin. Bul. 7, 47 pp. iUus. [Processed.]

HODGE, W. H., and BISSET, D. A.

1955. RUNNING BAMBOOS FOR HEDGES. NatL Hort. Mag. 34: 123-127, illus.

HOUZEAU DE LEHAIE, J.

1906-1908. LE BAMBOU. 295 pp., illus. Mons, Belgium.

MCCLURE, F. A.

1944. WESTERN HEMISPHERE BAMBOOS AS SUBSTITUTES FOR ORIENTAL BAMBOOS FOR THE

MANUFACTURE OF SKI POLE SHAFTS. Nati. Res. Council, Comm. on Quartermaster Problems, Final Rpt. QMC-24, 92 pp., illus. [Processed.]

1956. NEW SPECIES IN THE BAMBOO GENUS PHYLLOSTACHYS AND SOME NOMENCLATURAL

NOTES. Arnold Arboretum Jour. 37: 180-196, illus.

1956. BAMBOO IN THE ECONOMY OF ORIENTAL PEOPLES. Econ. Bot. 10: 335-361.

1956. BAMBOO CULTURE IN THE SOUTH PACIFIC. South Pacific Comm. Quart. Bui

6:38^0.
68 AGR. HANDBOOK 114, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

(10) SiNEATH, H. H., DAUCHERTY, P. M., HUTTON, R. N., and WASTLER, T. A.

1953. INDUSTRIAL RAW MATERIALS OF PLANT ORIGIN. V. A SURVEY OF THE BAMBOOS.

Ga. Inst. Technol., Engin. Expt. Sta. Bui. 18, 230 pp., illus. [Processed.]

(11) UNITED STATES AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH SERVICE.

1948, 1955. AMERICAN NURSERIES LISTING BAMBOOS. U. S. Dept. Agr. 4 pp.

[Processed.]

(12) YOUNG, R. A.

1945-46. BAMBOOS FOR (IN) AMERICAN HORTICULTURE. I-V. Nati. Hort. Mag. 24:

171-196, 274-291; 25: 40-64, 257-283, 352-365, illus.

(13)

1954. FLAVOR QUALITIES OF SOME EDIBLE ORIENTAL BAMBOOS. Econ. Bot. 8: 377-386.

illus.

LIST OF BAMBOOS

By Scientific Name

Bamboo species: P. I. No. I'age

Phyllostachys angusta 23237 12

arcana 77007 13

aurea 38919, 55975, 75153 15

aureosulcata 55713 18

bambusoides 12180, 40842, 77003,118926,128787 20

cv. AUgold 89701 23

Castillon 42659 24

Slender Crookstem ] 46420 24

White Crookstem 66785 25

bissetii 143540 25

congesta 80149 27

decora 128789 29

dulcís 73452 30

edulis. SEE puhescens.

clegans 110511,128778 32

flexuosa 52686, 116965 34

glauca 77011 36

makinoi 195284 38

meyeri 116768 39

milis. SEE viridis.

nidularia 63696, 63697, 63757, 66786, 67399,128769 42

128772,128779.128812

cv. Snioothsheath 128776 44

nigra 49505, 66784, 75159, 77259 45

cv. Bory 77258 46

Henon 24761, 66787, 75158 47

nuda 103938 48

propinqua 76649 49

puhescens 80034 51

purpúrala 128771 53

cv. Solidstem 77006,128791, 128800,128805 56

Straightstem 77001,116711,128792,128797 56

reticulata (of Japanese authors). SEE bambusoides.

rubromarginata 66902, 67398, 77000 56

viridi-glaucescens 75160, 123432 60

viridis 77257 62

cv. Houzeau 233849 65

Robert Young 89718 64

vivax 82047 65

By Plant Introduction Number

/'. /. No, Bamboo species Page

12180 P. bambusoides (GianI Timber bamboo) 20

23237 P. augusta, type plant 12

24761 P. nigra cv. Henon 47

38919 P. aurea (Ilolei-Chiku) 15

40842 P. bambusoides 20

42659 P. bambusoides cv. Castillon 24
BAMBOOS OF THE GENUS PHYLLOSTACHYS 69

p. /. No. liambiM) species—Conlinucd Page

49505 P. nigra (Black bamboo) 45

52686 P. flexuosa 34

55713 P. aureosulcata (Ycllowgroovc bamboo), Ivpc i>lanl 18

55975 P. aitrea (Holei-Chiku) '. 15

63696 P. maularía 42

63697 P. nitliilaria (Inventory notes do not apply). . . . 42

63698 See P. I. 1464200

63757 P. nitliilaria 42

66784 /'. nigra (Black bamboo) 45

66785 P. hanibusoides cv. Wbile Crookslein 25

66786 P. nidularia 42

66787 P. nigra cv. Ilenon 47

66902 P. rubruniarginata 56

67398 P. rubruniarginata, type plant 56

67399 P. nidularia (Inventory notes do not apply) 42

73452 P. dulcis (Sweelshoot bamboo), type plant 30

75153 P. aiirea (llotei-Cbikii) 15

75158 P. nigra cv. Henon 47

75159 P. nigra (Black bamboo) 45

75160 P. viridi-glaucescens 60

76649 P. propinqua, type plant 49

77000 P. rubromarginata 56

77001 P. purpúrala cv. Straigbtsteni, tvpe plant 56

77003 P. bambusoides (Giant Timber bamboo) 20

77006 P. purpúrala cv. Solidstem, type plant 56

77007 P. arcana, type plant 13

77011 P. glauca, type plant 36

77257 P. viridis, type plant (In Inventory as P. sulphurea var. viridis) 62

77258 P. nigra cv. Borv (L'nmon-Chiku) 46

77259 P. nigra (Black bamboo) 45

80034 P. pubescens (Moso-Chiku), type plant (neotvpe) 51

80149 P. congesta .' '. 27

82047 P. vivax, type plant 65

89701 P. bambusoides cv. Allgold, type plant 23

89718 P. viridis cv. Robert Young, tvpe plant (In Inventorv as P. sulphurea). . 64

103938 P. nuda, from the type plant. ' 48

110511 P. elegans ' 32

116711 P. purpúrala cv. Straightstem 56

116768 P. inereri (Mever bamboo), type plant 39

116965 P.fleiuosa. . .'. '. 34

118926 P. bambusoides (shows only juvenile character; apparently a strain that

does not thrive at the Garden) 20

123432 P. viridi-glaucescens (In Inventory as P. sulphurea var. viridis) 60

128769 P. nidularia ' 42

128771 P. purpúrala, from the type plant 53

128772 P. nidularia 42

128776 P. nidularia cv. Smoothshealh, type plant 44

128778 P. elegans, type plant 32

128779 P. nidularia 42

128787 P. bambusoides (Giant Timber bamboo) 20

128789 P. decora, type plant 29

128791 P. purpúrala cv. Solidstem 56

128792 P. purpúrala cv. Straightstem 56

128797 do 56

128800 P. purpúrala cv. Solidstem 56

128805 do 56

128812 P. nidularia 42

143540 P. bisselii (David Bisset bamboo), type plant 25

146420 P. bambusoides cv. Slender Crookstem 24

195284 P. makinoi (Makino bamboo) 35

233849 P. viridis cv. Houzeau, type plant 65

U. S, GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE: 1957