I see that I have a new species....

[needmore]

This evening I decided to cut some of the leafless, partially top killed Semiarundinaria Yashadake Kimmeii culms back to the point where new leaves were coming out. This is the first winter in 4 that this species has not topkilled totally and it is extremely aggressive producing lots of culms so this is a daunting task and I quit in the center of the grove. It is mostly bare culms as all dead leaves have fallen away and new fresh ones are a couple of inches along, so it is easy to see all of the culms right now. Toward the center of the grove I noticed a large section that is the inverse of the species, usually lemon yellow with faint green striping in & out of the sulcus. There bigger than life, are several green culms with a bright yellow sulcus. I see that Bamboo Sourcery sells Sem Yash Kimm 'Inversa', so geez, I guess that I now have to isolate these rhizomes and see if I really have a stable regression/new species.

Lance, FoxD, Brian Eastlandia, Kaylen, I think yours came from the true yellow portion of the grove but you might want to keep an eye out for this.

Anyone else growing this species have the same experience? I wonder how common this is with the species??????

[Iowaboo]

I'll keep my eyes out for inversa. Quite interesting how bamboo species revert to different cultivars. Has it every been explained why or how they do this. I wouldn't think they would need to do it for survival. Maybe, they do change culm layout to attract non-bamboo related animals such as humans to the grove. The human is mesmerized by the crazy new culm designs and lives in the grove and fertilizes it.


Things that make you go HMm.?

[Eastlandia]

Thats fantastic! Ill keep my eye out for that. But can you keep the divided plants that way?? -Eastlandia

[boonatick]

Brad, I have some of the inversa ,origanaly from bamboo sorcery, it would be inrtersting to see how they compare,,,Is the division of Semiarundinaria Yashadake Kimmeii you sent me a few years back from the same grove from wich your inversa appeared?

[needmore]

Kaylen, yes, it's the same one. This is the first winter that it did not topkill but it did drop all leaves so the culms were easy to see. When the foliage leaves are on, the culms in the middle of the patch are invisible. The reverse culms were in the center of the grove. I've dug a couple and left a couple in the ground.

[Thuja]

I think technically you wouldn't call it a new species but rather a new form, that is if it sticks.

[Markj]

Strange how these mutations/forms appear at the same sort of time but in different locals , not widely available here but someone though the best name was 'Gimmie' , which this new mutation is known this side of the pond.

[wufeng]

Paul Whittaker of Hardybamboo.com use this name: Semiarundinaria yashadake 'Gimmei' . See here: http://www.hardybamboo.com/shop/detail. ... a&urn=3363

[foxd]

I was reading that Hibanobambusa tranquillans 'Shiroshima' showed up three years after Hibanobambusa tranquillans 'Kimmei' flowered. I'm wondering how the "Kimmei' form differed from the main form.

[Markj]

Hi foxd , something's a tad mixed up here, the xHibanobambusa tranquillans is a cross between Ph. nigra and Sasa veitichii and the form 'Shriroshima' would of been a selected seedling.

That's what I've been told anyway

Bamboo, I think this plant is too complicated

[Markj]

Another point, just to add to the debate , over here it's widely regarded that the form 'Kimmie' and add 'Gimmie/inversa' is NOT a form of Semiarundinaria yashadake. But because it's been known as this for so long the name sticks

Which leads to the question, what is it

[foxd]

Here is a link to where I found the info:

http://www.midatlanticbamboo.com/bamboo ... o-0135.htm

[bambooweb]

Markj
Chris Stapleton has changed the description of Hibanobambusa this year to say:

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

Bill

[Markj]

HI , do we get any more info , perhaps some facts to back up that sentence, would be nice to know what evidence is lacking.