Difference?: B. mutabilis vs B. textilis 'Kanapaha'

[Brian_K]

In the plants profile section it has 'Kanapaha' listed as surviving in zone 8a and moreover, that it lived through freezes of 0F and -6F.

If it can survive -6F.. I want
Or is it just another instance of "clever marketing"?

[Roy]

In the plants profile section it has 'Kanapaha' listed as surviving in zone 8a and moreover, that it lived through freezes of 0F and -6F.

If it can survive -6F.. I want
Or is it just another instance of "clever marketing"?

I say let's go with "clever marketing". Here's my go at it:

See my special cold hardy B. vulgaris 'Vittata' clone below. This specific 'Vittata' clone survived the back to back 19 F temps of Christmas eve and Christmas day 1983.



I left out the part were the tops were killed back level with the ground, but underground rhizomes did survive and the above pictures shows what the clump looked like several years later; absent the dead culms from Christmas of 1983. And the plant will probably survive in even colder temperatures than the 19 F.

[Roy]

Here's a picture of a wider spaced B. textilis 'Mutabilis' filling in the center of the clump so that it can become a tight clumping B. textilis 'Kanapaha'.

Metamorphosing from B. tex. 'Mutabilis' to B. tex. 'Kanapaha'

[Michael]

Where I live B. vulgaris 'Vittata' gets to start over every year. On mild winter years a few of the internodes make it through, but most springs it had to start over from under ground. On the other hand the B. tex. Kanapaha has had no winter damage. This is just north of I-10 in the middle of the panhandle.

I just put my B. tex. Kanapaha in the ground this spring. I will keep you informed as to how it handles the winters.

Michael

[Roy]

Another point to make that these 2 are the same plant. Both of them (B. tx.mutabilis & B. textilis 'Kanapaha') start putting up new shoots in late Summer at my house. A bit later than most of my bamboos, but not as late as D. asper.

(As a side note: My regular B. textilis starts shooting in early to mid-Summer)

[mantis]

Quick question... does B. tex. Mutabilis show any difference in cold sensitivity than the standard B. textilis?

I have a friend who wants a bamboo, but she lives in zone 8. I checked the source list, and it has all textilis' listed at 18*, but in looking at Tropical Bamboo's website it has the standard at 15* and Mutabilis at 20*.

She was wanting to go with B. ventricosa, but I sent her some pics of the B. textilis @ Kanapaha, and I think I have swayed her.

[Roy]

Quick question... does B. tex. Mutabilis show any difference in cold sensitivity than the standard B. textilis?

I have a friend who wants a bamboo, but she lives in zone 8. I checked the source list, and it has all textilis' listed at 18*, but in looking at Tropical Bamboo's website it has the standard at 15* and Mutabilis at 20*.

She was wanting to go with B. ventricosa, but I sent her some pics of the B. textilis @ Kanapaha, and I think I have swayed her.

First thing I would wonder is "Where did Tropical Bamboo get cold the tolerance numbers?" According to the link below, the coldest it has ever been recorded in Miami is 30 F. So the 15 F and 20 F have to come from somewhere, but not Miami.

Not knowing the true heritage of the B. tex. Kanapatabilis, if we were to assume that they both (comparing to regular B. tex.) have the same cold tolerance DNA, then the B. tex. Kanapatabilis, having larger mass should withstand lower temps better. Just hypothesizing.

But for pure beauty, she should go with the one posted below:

http://lwf.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/climate/onl ... melow.html

[mantis]

First thing I would wonder is "Where did Tropical Bamboo get cold the tolerance numbers?" According to the link below, the coldest it has ever been recorded in Miami is 30 F. So the 15 F and 20 F have to come from somewhere, but not Miami.

Not knowing the true heritage of the B. tex. Kanapatabilis, if we were to assume that they both (comparing to regular B. tex.) have the cold tolerance DNA, then the B. tex. Kanapatabilis, having larger mass should withstand lower temps better. Just hypothesizing.

But for pure beauty, she should go with the one posted below:

Thanks.

I already told her to get the Mutabilis. That is one plant that I should have bought long ago, but for some reason never did. Maybe when Houston gets hit by a cold winter and kills all my tropical boo I'll replant with a little more common sense.

[Roy]

Thanks.

I already told her to get the Mutabilis. That is one plant that I should have bought long ago, but for some reason never did. Maybe when Houston gets hit by a cold winter and kills all my tropical boo I'll replant with a little more common sense.

I wouldn't wait for the cold weather. If I didn't have room, then I would make room. Take out your least favorite and plant a B. tex. Kanapatabilis.

[mantis]

I wouldn't wait for the cold weather. If I didn't have room, then I would make room. Take out your least favorite and plant a B. tex. Kanapatabilis.

The problem is that I have no least favorites left in my yard. This spring I dug out and gave away all of my duplicates and less desirables. The only potential candidate is my G. maxima. I like it, but I planted it in the wrong spot... on the north side of my property. It gets hit hard in the winter. I could move the maxima to where my B. chungii Barbi is currently located, and make a new bed for the barbi. That should be easy to find a spot for since it shouldn't get too big.

I'll do some thinking this weekend.

[Roy]

I wouldn't wait for the cold weather. If I didn't have room, then I would make room. Take out your least favorite and plant a B. tex. Kanapatabilis.

The problem is that I have no least favorites left in my yard. This spring I dug out and gave away all of my duplicates and less desirables. The only potential candidate is my G. maxima. I like it, but I planted it in the wrong spot... on the north side of my property. It gets hit hard in the winter. I could move the maxima to where my B. chungii Barbi is currently located, and make a new bed for the barbi. That should be easy to find a spot for since it shouldn't get too big.

I'll do some thinking this weekend.

Yelp. Put the B. tex. Kanapatabilis on the north side. It can withstand Sugar Land's Winter temps.

[Roy]

I need some advice. I have a 15 foot tall new shoot of B. textils 'Mutabilis' shooting right now. The only problem is that it's 2.5 inches in diameter. Since B. tx. 'Mutabilis' doesn't get that size diameter, only B. tx. 'Kanapaha' gets that big, should I dig it out, after it leafs out, and plant it in the B. tx. Kanapaha' clump? I don't want it to look like I got some B. tx. Kanapaha mixed up with my B. tx. 'Mutabilis" and have it look out of place. Anybody got any advice you can give me?

[bepah]

I need some advice. I have a 15 foot tall new shoot of B. textils 'Mutabilis' shooting right now. The only problem is that it's 2.5 inches in diameter. Since B. tx. 'Mutabilis' doesn't get that size diameter, only B. tx. 'Kanapaha' gets that big, should I dig it out, after it leafs out, and plant it in the B. tx. Kanapaha' clump? I don't want it to look like I got some B. tx. Kanapaha mixed up with my B. tx. 'Mutabilis" and have it look out of place. Anybody got any advice you can give me?

Roy,

Are you moving it because it is not what your thought it was or because it is what you thought it was but it 'looks' wrong (too large diameter)?

I guess it depends on how you think. If it is a mutabilis,then it belongs where it is, in my opinion. If it is not and you want to give a true pictire of what the species projects in real life, then you should move it.

Is it possible that you have a special, large sized, mutabilis that requires some special attention? If so, maybe it should be segregated at some time in the future as its own cultivar of the variant.......

Hmmmm....this is getting complex!

[mantis]

Roy, I think you need a disclaimer in your signature...

STFU Motto: All Bamboos are not Created Equal*

*except Mutabilis and Kanapaha

[marcat]

Ya ship the division to me ...out of sight out of mind...he he
MarCat