Oxytenanthera abyssinica bizarreness?

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terrabamboo
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Oxytenanthera abyssinica bizarreness?

Post by terrabamboo »

so, long story short, my friend germinated and planted Oxytenanthera abyssinica seeds 4 years ago. Two plants survived and new shoots are still emerging.

However, I went to visit yesterday and I saw something BIZARRE. On one of the plants, I saw this!
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Terra Bamboo
300 acre Bamboo Plantation Project
Focusing on Henon, Moso, Robert Young, Rubro, Vivax and Fargesia
Tarzanus
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Re: Oxytenanthera abyssinica bizarreness?

Post by Tarzanus »

It looks like a bizarre case of bamboo flowering. :mrgreen:
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Re: Oxytenanthera abyssinica bizarreness?

Post by terrabamboo »

flowering only after 4 years of germination? it looked like flowering to me too, but it was just so hard to believe!
Terra Bamboo
300 acre Bamboo Plantation Project
Focusing on Henon, Moso, Robert Young, Rubro, Vivax and Fargesia
Tarzanus
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Re: Oxytenanthera abyssinica bizarreness?

Post by Tarzanus »

I would have to read a bit more about it, but as far as I know, these South African bamboos flower massively during gregarious flowering when bamboos in whole regions die off and set seed. They also flower sporadically every now and then without suffering enough to die off completely. Same happens in some of temperate running bamboos as well. As I said, I would have to read more documentation about Oxytenanthera abyssinica.

There's always an option that the seedling suffered from environmental stress last season and decided to start flowering. That too happens in most if not all bamboos.
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Re: Oxytenanthera abyssinica bizarreness?

Post by terrabamboo »

So the real question is, let's assume that plant is a goner over the next year or so with maybe some seeds from it. Do you think the one next to it, from a different seed, will most likely suffer the same fate? I always thought the genetic makeup of the seed was unique.
Terra Bamboo
300 acre Bamboo Plantation Project
Focusing on Henon, Moso, Robert Young, Rubro, Vivax and Fargesia
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