Color code:  |
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| Genus species |
Common Name |
Max Ht
Ft |
Max Dia
In |
Min Temp
F |
Sun
5=full
sun |
Description |
Synonym |
Sources |
More
Info |
|---|
| Clumper/Runner |
| Arundinaria | Genus of small to medium size hardy running bamboos, with numerous branches at each node and persistent culm sheaths. New shoots in spring. Native to the US only. All other species should be moved to different genera. |
Arundinaria
gigantea 'Macon' |
MACON RIVERCANE |
20.00 |
1.00 |
-22 |
5 |
More upright and hardier than the species; reported to stay evergreen with little leaf burn. |
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Sources |
MORE |
| Runner |
| Bashania | Genus of medium size Chinese running bamboos. |
Bashania
fargesii |
|
20.00 |
2.00 |
5 |
4 |
Native to the mountains of China. Leaves up to a foot long. |
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Sources |
MORE |
| Runner |
| Borinda | Clump-forming mountain bamboos from Bhutan, Tibet, Yunnan, & Sichuan, with different flowers to Fargesia and shorter rhizomes than Yushania. Culms usually blue at first, usually with very fine grooves.. |
Borinda
angustissima |
|
18.00 |
0.80 |
10 |
3 |
From Sichuan. Arching culms with white powder and purple sheaths at first, and narrow leaves. Was listed as Fargesia. |
Fargesia angustissima |
Sources |
MORE |
| Clumper |
| Chimonobambusa | Medium size running bamboos, often with raised, sometimes thorny nodes, or quadrangular culms, initiating new shoots in the fall or winter, or early spring hence "Winter bamboos". |
Chimonobambusa
marmorea |
MARBLED BAMBOO |
6.00 |
0.50 |
15 |
3 |
New shoots and culm leaves are marbled with cream and purple. The almost solid culms turn dark purple. |
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Sources |
MORE |
| Runner |
Chimonobambusa
marmorea 'Variegata' |
|
6.00 |
0.50 |
16 |
3 |
Same, except the leaves have narrow white stripes. |
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Sources |
MORE |
| Runner |
Chimonobambusa
tumidissinoda |
Walking stick |
20.00 |
1.30 |
10 |
4 |
A rare Chinese bamboo noted for its inflated culm nodes. Used for walking sticks in Sichuan, and highly prized for dried shoots. |
Qiongzhuea tumidissinoda |
Sources |
MORE |
| Runner |
| Chusquea | A genus of C & S American bamboos that contains 134 described species, and possibly another 70 yet to be described. They are mostly clumping mountain bamboos, but some are runners. The solid culms usually bear one dominant branch and numerous branchlets. |
Chusquea
culeou |
|
15.00 |
1.00 |
0 |
5 |
Hardy clumper, from southern Chile, long cultivated in Europe. Has many branches per node, all equal size. Many different clones available of varying hardiness and form. |
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Sources |
MORE |
| Clumper |
Chusquea
gigantea |
|
25.00 |
1.50 |
0 |
5 |
Shoots red, culms light and dark green. Closely allied to C. culeou. Many branches per node, one to three thicker and very long. An “open clumper.” Has been sold as C. breviglumis. |
Chusquea breviglumis |
Sources |
MORE |
| Clumper |
| Fargesia | Clumping bamboos from the alpine conifer forests of west and southwest China. Medium to small and all very cold hardy, but not tolerant of very high summer temperatures. Flowers like toothbrushes. Culms smooth. |
Fargesia
apicirubens |
RED-TIPPED BAMBOO |
16.00 |
0.80 |
-5 |
3 |
Native to China at elevations over 6,000 feet. A new species previously misidentified as F. dracocephala. |
Fargesia dracocephala |
Sources |
MORE |
| Clumper |
Fargesia
dracocephala 'Rufa' |
|
10.00 |
0.50 |
-10 |
2 |
From Sichuan. Early shoots. Also known as Gansu 95-1. Close to the description of the real F. dracocephala. |
Fargesia sp. 'rufa' |
Sources |
MORE |
| Clumper |
Fargesia
murieliae |
UMBRELLA BAMBOO |
15.00 |
0.50 |
-15 |
2 |
Similar to F. nitida but with green culms. May be the hardiest bamboo in the U.S. Grows at above 10,000 feet in China, important panda food. |
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Sources |
MORE |
| Clumper |
Fargesia
nitida |
FOUNTAIN BAMBOO |
12.00 |
0.50 |
-15 |
2 |
Upright culms with thick grey deciduous wax when young, may become nearly black. Sheaths orange-ribbed. First introduced as seed in 1889, from which many cultivars named. Those plants currently starting a protracted flowering phase and probably all about |
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Sources |
MORE |
| Clumper |
Fargesia
nitida 'Jiuzhaigou 01' |
|
12.00 |
0.50 |
-15 |
2 |
New introduction. A clone from Jiuzhaigou Reserve with Red Culms. |
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Sources |
MORE |
| Clumper |
Fargesia
nitida 'Jiuzhaigou' |
|
12.00 |
0.50 |
-15 |
2 |
New introductions. Several new seedling clones from Jiuzhaigou Reserve. |
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Sources |
MORE |
| Clumper |
Fargesia
robusta |
|
16.00 |
1.00 |
0 |
4 |
From Sichuan Province, China, at elevations over 8,000 feet.Early shoots. |
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Sources |
MORE |
| Clumper |
Fargesia
robusta 'Campbell' |
|
12.00 |
U |
0 |
U |
Upright form with small leaves |
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Sources |
MORE |
| Clumper |
Fargesia
robusta 'Wolong' |
|
17.00 |
1.00 |
0 |
4 |
Collected in Wolong, Sichuan in 1996. More vigorous, with larger leaves. Bamboo 23: 16. 2002. |
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Sources |
MORE |
| Clumper |
Fargesia
sp. 'Scabrida' |
|
U |
U |
-5 |
4 |
From Pingwu, Sichuan. Orange sheaths as F. dracocephala 'Rufa' but with more culm wax. Not F. scabrida. |
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Sources |
MORE |
| Clumper |
Fargesia
utilis |
TUNGCHUAN #3 |
13.00 |
0.50 |
0 |
4 |
From Yunnan, culms curve upwards with pendulous cascading foliage. May be Borinda but flowers unknown. |
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Sources |
MORE |
| Clumper |
| Hibanobambusa | A running genus from Japan once thought to be a natural bigeneric hybrid between Sasa veitchii and Phyllostachys nigra 'Henon', but with little evidence to support that idea. |
Hibanobambusa
tranquillans 'Shiroshima' |
|
16.00 |
1.30 |
3 |
4 |
This form has strikingly attractive leaves variegated in cream and green. The colors persist throughout the year. |
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Sources |
MORE |
| Runner |
| Indocalamus | Small, running bamboos from China with large, broad leaves; similar to Sasa but with non-prominent culm nodes. |
Indocalamus
tessellatus |
Big Leaf |
7.00 |
0.50 |
-10 |
4 |
Usually less than 4 feet tall, it can reach 10ft and has the largest leaves of any bamboo in cultivation, up to 26 inches by 5 inches. Adapts easily to growing in pots. Does well in shade or sun. |
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Sources |
MORE |
| Runner |
| Phyllostachys | Medium to giant runners which have a distinct groove above pairs of unequal branches at mid-culm nodes. They shoot in spring. |
Phyllostachys
atrovaginata |
INCENSE BAMBOO |
35.00 |
2.80 |
-5 |
5 |
The shoots are among those having the least bite when raw. These plants were formerly listed as P. congesta. |
Phyllostachys congesta |
Sources |
MORE |
| Runner |
Phyllostachys
aurea |
GOLDEN, FISHPOLE BAMBOO |
27.00 |
1.80 |
5 |
5 |
The most commonly cultivated bamboo in the U.S., easily identified by one to several short internodes at the base of some of its culms. It is most invasive in areas with warm summers. Culm may grow to 3 inches diameter in favorable conditions. |
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Sources |
MORE |
| Runner |
Phyllostachys
aurea 'Flavescens-inversa' |
|
27.00 |
1.80 |
5 |
5 |
The green culms have a pale yellow groove. |
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Sources |
MORE |
| Runner |
Phyllostachys
aurea 'Holochrysa' |
GOLDEN GOLDEN |
27.00 |
1.80 |
5 |
5 |
Unlike the typical form whose culms stay green until old, these culms soon turn yellow, then golden orange. |
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Sources |
MORE |
| Runner |
Phyllostachys
aurea 'Koi' |
|
27.00 |
1.80 |
5 |
5 |
The culms turn from green to yellow after the first 6 months, but the culm grooves remain green. |
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Sources |
MORE |
| Runner |
Phyllostachys
aureosulcata |
Yellow Groove |
45.00 |
2.20 |
-5 |
5 |
The culms are more slender and delicate than golden bamboo; young culms are green with a yellow groove. Culm internodes distinctly rough to the touch when young, and an occasional culm has a zigzag kink. |
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Sources |
MORE |
| Runner |
Phyllostachys
aureosulcata 'Alata' |
|
30.00 |
2.00 |
-5 |
5 |
Similar to the above, but with a green groove. Culms grow larger and are often markedly zigzag. Probably synonymous with P. aureosulcata 'Pekinensis'. |
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Sources |
MORE |
| Runner |
Phyllostachys
aureosulcata 'Aureocaulis' |
|
26.00 |
1.50 |
-5 |
5 |
Culms are entirely yellow except for a few vertical green stripes. |
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Sources |
MORE |
| Runner |
Phyllostachys
aureosulcata 'Spectabilis' |
Green groove |
26.00 |
1.50 |
-5 |
5 |
The culms are yellow with a green groove, just opposite of the typical form. Smaller in hottest areas. |
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Sources |
MORE |
| Runner |
Phyllostachys
bambusoides |
GIANT JAPANESE TIMBER, MADAKE |
72.00 |
6.00 |
5 |
5 |
The most utilized bamboo in Japan where it is valued for its large straight thick-walled culms. Flowered extensively in the 1970’s and many plants died. Most plants have regained their vegetative vigor. |
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Sources |
MORE |
| Runner |
Phyllostachys
bissetii |
|
40.00 |
2.00 |
-10 |
5 |
A vigorously growing species whose culms are somewhat darker green than 'golden bamboo'. It is one of the first species of the genus to shoot in the spring. |
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Sources |
MORE |
| Runner |
Phyllostachys
dulcis |
Sweetshoot bamboo |
40.00 |
3.20 |
0 |
5 |
Arching culms. Named because its shoots are particularly free of any acrid taste. |
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Sources |
MORE |
| Runner |
Phyllostachys
edulis |
MOSO |
75.00 |
7.00 |
5 |
5 |
Largest of the hardy bamboos. Young culms are covered with a velvety coat of soft hairs. The most used bamboo in China, used for food , timber, paper, plywood, and flooring. |
Phyllostachys heterocycla pubescens |
Sources |
MORE |
| Runner |
Phyllostachys
heteroclada |
WATER BAMBOO |
33.00 |
1.50 |
-11 |
5 |
Larger, more erect, and less zigzag than P. h. 'Purpurata'. |
Phyllostachys purpurata 'Straightstem' |
Sources |
MORE |
| Runner |
Phyllostachys
heteroclada 'Purpurata' |
|
18.00 |
0.80 |
5 |
5 |
The slender, zigzag culms often bend to the ground under the weight of rain or in a strong wind. Air channels in rhizomes permit growth in wet locations. |
Phyllostachys purpurata |
Sources |
MORE |
| Runner |
Phyllostachys
humilis |
|
20.00 |
1.00 |
3 |
5 |
One of the smallest members of the genus, it is widely cultivated in Japan. Culms darken with age. |
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Sources |
MORE |
| Runner |
Phyllostachys
nigra |
Black bamboo |
30.00 |
2.00 |
5 |
5 |
Culms turn jet black after the first 6 months to one year. Popular because of its graceful habit and the sharp accent of its culm color. Said to grow larger in northern climates. It is not clear whether there is significant difference between some of the cultivars |
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Sources |
MORE |
| Runner |
Phyllostachys
nigra 'Bory' |
Snakeskin |
50.00 |
3.00 |
0 |
5 |
Differs from P. nigra by growing larger. Culms blotched with black, never completely black. |
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Sources |
MORE |
| Runner |
Phyllostachys
nigra 'Hale' |
|
20.00 |
1.50 |
0 |
4 |
Similar to the type, but smaller and hardier. Culms turn black almost immediately. |
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Sources |
MORE |
| Runner |
Phyllostachys
nigra 'Henon' |
|
65.00 |
3.50 |
0 |
5 |
Culms totally green, usually much larger than Black bamboo.Distinctive culms are rough to the touch and whitish green. |
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Sources |
MORE |
| Runner |
Phyllostachys
nigra 'Megurochiku' |
|
54.00 |
3.50 |
3 |
5 |
Green, similar to 'Henon' but the culm grooves are brown or purplish-black. |
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Sources |
MORE |
| Runner |
Phyllostachys
nigra 'Shimadake' |
|
54.00 |
3.50 |
0 |
5 |
Similar to Henon but with occasional brown vertical stripes on the culm after the first year. |
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Sources |
MORE |
| Runner |
Phyllostachys
nuda |
|
34.00 |
1.80 |
-10 |
5 |
Reputed to be the hardiest species of the genus. New culms are dark green and powdery. |
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Sources |
MORE |
| Runner |
Phyllostachys
violascens |
|
20.00 |
2.00 |
0 |
5 |
Culms blackish-violet at first, sometimes striped with violet. Sheaths deep purple. |
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Sources |
MORE |
| Runner |
Phyllostachys
viridis 'Robert Young' |
|
40.00 |
3.00 |
5 |
5 |
The culms and branches soon turn from sulfur green to old gold. Longitudinal green stripes of variable width mark many internodes. |
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Sources |
MORE |
| Runner |
Phyllostachys
vivax |
Vivax |
70.00 |
5.00 |
5 |
5 |
Resembles P. bambusoides except that the culms have thinner walls and a white powdery band beneath each node at sheath-fall. Gray-green when mature. |
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Sources |
MORE |
| Runner |
Phyllostachys
vivax 'Aureocaulis' |
|
70.00 |
5.00 |
5 |
5 |
The culms turn yellow with a few narrow green stripes. |
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Sources |
MORE |
| Runner |
Phyllostachys
vivax 'Huangwenzhu Inversa' |
|
70.00 |
5.00 |
0 |
5 |
The culms are yellow with a green groove. |
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Sources |
MORE |
| Runner |
| Pleioblastus | Genus of small and medium size running bamboos with persistent culm leaves. Most are native to Japan, were formerly classified in Arundinaria. |
Pleioblastus
chino 'Vaginatus Variegatus' |
|
6.00 |
0.50 |
10 |
3 |
Differs from the type by its smaller, narrower, white striped leaves, which are hairless on both surfaces. The rhizomes run deep in the ground. |
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Sources |
MORE |
| Runner |
Pleioblastus
distichus |
DWARF FERN LEAF |
2.00 |
0.20 |
0 |
3 |
Branchlets bear tiny, two ranked leaves which are often only 1 inch long by 1/4 inch wide. A good ground cover or container plant. |
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Sources |
MORE |
| Runner |
Pleioblastus
fortunei |
Dwarf Whitestripe |
4.00 |
0.20 |
10 |
3 |
Dwarf variegated bamboo. Leaves keep their white stripes through the year, softly hairy on the lower surface. Aka P. variegatus. |
Pleioblastus variegatus |
Sources |
MORE |
| Runner |
Pleioblastus
pygmaeus |
|
2.00 |
0.10 |
0 |
3 |
Similar to Pl. distichus except that the leaves are hairy below. Other small bamboos are often sold under this name. |
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Sources |
MORE |
| Runner |
Pleioblastus
shibuyanus 'Tsuboi' |
UEDA-ZASA |
9.00 |
0.30 |
-5 |
3 |
A vigorous growing dwarf with rather small, white striped leaves. |
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Sources |
MORE |
| Runner |
Pleioblastus
viridistriatus |
Dwarf Green Stripe |
3.00 |
0.30 |
0 |
2 |
The new leaves in spring are golden-yellow with green stripes, about 7 by 1.5 inch, densely hairy on the lower surface. Old culms should be mowed in winter making way for brilliant new growth in spring. |
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Sources |
MORE |
| Runner |
Pleioblastus
viridistriatus 'Chrysophyllus' |
|
3.00 |
0.30 |
0 |
2 |
Same as Pl. viridistriatus, except that the leaves are yellow with only very faint green stripes. |
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Sources |
MORE |
| Runner |
| Pseudosasa | Small to medium size running bamboos which usually have only one branch at a node. |
Pseudosasa
japonica |
Arrow Bamboo |
18.00 |
0.80 |
5 |
3 |
Erect culms with large broad leaves, up to a foot long by 1.5 inches wide. Less invasive than most other runners. It does well in tubs and pots. The culms were used in ancient japan to make arrows. |
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Sources |
MORE |
| Runner |
Pseudosasa
japonica 'Tsutsumiana' |
Green Onion |
18.00 |
0.80 |
5 |
3 |
Similar to the species except that the culm internodes tend to be swollen in shape somewhat like that of a green onion. |
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Sources |
MORE |
| Runner |
Pseudosasa
viridula |
|
18.00 |
0.80 |
5 |
3 |
Long wide green leaves. |
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Sources |
MORE |
| Runner |
| Sasa | Running species, dwarf or up to 6 feet tall, with at most one branch per node. The leaves are usually large. |
Sasa
gracillima |
|
2.50 |
U |
U |
U |
|
|
Sources |
MORE |
| Runner |
Sasa
palmata |
|
7.00 |
0.50 |
5 |
2 |
The thick, leathery leaves are up to 15 inches long by 21/2 inches wide. It does well in pots, looks best when grown in the shade. Grows taller in cool climates. |
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Sources |
MORE |
| Runner |
Sasa
veitchii |
KUMA-ZASA |
5.00 |
0.30 |
5 |
2 |
In Winter dark green leaves have very broad white margins. This, along with large leaves on short plants gives a unique, striking appearance. |
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Sources |
MORE |
| Runner |
| Sasaella | Similar to Sasa except that culms are more erect, leaves are smaller and the oral setae have bristles only near the base. |
Sasaella
masamuneana 'Albostriata' |
FUIRI-SHIIYAZASA |
6.00 |
0.30 |
5 |
3 |
An attractive variegated bamboo with thick leaves striped in white or cream. |
Sasaella glabra 'Albostriata' |
Sources |
MORE |
| Runner |
Sasaella
ramosa |
|
6.00 |
0.30 |
0 |
4 |
Usually only about 3 feet tall, it is a rampant runner suitable for growing in pots or for erosion control. |
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Sources |
MORE |
| Runner |
| Semiarundinaria | Medium size running bamboos with nearly cylindrical culms and culm leaves that hang for some time attached at the middle of their base. |
Semiarundinaria
fastuosa 'Viridis' |
|
35.00 |
1.50 |
0 |
5 |
Similar to the species except that the culms remain green, branches are a little longer, and growth is more vigorous. |
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Sources |
MORE |
| Runner |
| Shibataea | A genus with very dense, short, zig-zagged angular culms with 3-5 branches per node, often clipped into balls. |
Shibataea
kumasaca |
|
7.00 |
0.30 |
-5 |
3 |
Short, broad leaves on slender, nearly solid culms with prominent nodes and short slightly zigzag internodes. Prefers acid soil, shows extensive leaf burn if in alkaline environment. |
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Sources |
MORE |
| Runner |
| Thamnocalamus | Clumping bamboos from the mountains of eastern Asia and Africa, similar to Fargesia. |
Thamnocalamus
crassinodus |
|
18.00 |
0.80 |
U |
U |
From Nepal and Tibet. Culm nodes swollen, branching very strong, some clones with small leaves. No auricles.
|
Fargesia crassinodus |
Sources |
MORE |
| Clumper |
| Yushania | A large group of spreading thornless frost-hardy bamboos from Taiwan, the Himalayas and Africa. Rhizomes pachymorph, often with long rootless necks, but also tillering, so forming spreading thickets. |
Yushania
anceps |
|
12.00 |
0.50 |
10 |
3 |
One of the beautiful mountain bamboos from the Himalayas of India. |
Arundinaria anceps |
Sources |
MORE |
| Open Clumper |