I did a little brush clearing at an apartment today and came across this bamboo. I am thinking it is Ph. Bambusoides because the leaves look alot like the Madake I have at home, complete with the little fuzzy things at the base of the leaves. Someone had been cutting it down so these culms were only 3'-4' whereas the ones in the thick areas were 12' or more. I convinced the agent to let the bamboo grow, although I did dig one to take home. No compressed nodes, did I get the id right?

hmmm... cant tell from the photos. it does not look quite right for P. bambusoides by the top photo.

Hard to tell from the pictures. Looks more like Japanese arrow (Ps. japonica). Or some type of bambusa. Does it have a sulcus (vertical groove between the nodes)?

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Happy trails...

Sorry the pics were so small, I made them bigger so maybe you can see a little better. It definitely has a sulcus and is a runner. There were 3 types there, maybe 4, but #4 was a growing in a patch of what I think is Arrow Bamboo and has compressed nodes but not like Golden Bamboo. This is a pic of what I think is Arrow Bamboo, it is in a different area than the bamboo I think is Ph.Bambusoides and has the retained sheaths.

I still would not bet on P. bambusoides. the leaves dont look quite right somehow. you said there was a sulca on the culm- is it the full lenght of the internode, or just a small section by the branches? my first impression of the plant is that it is Hibanobambus tranquillans- not that im 100% on that, I only have the shiroshima form, and have never seen the green form up close and personal. that would be my first guess, second would be some form of Semiarundinaria. Phyllostachys bamboos usally dont have that many leaves on the branches. I also think that the leaves are too big- wide for the length-, even for juvenile leaves, and too deep green.

here is one from the photo gallery of Hibanobambusa tranquillans... I dont know how to make the pic show though

http://www.bambooweb.info/ShowPictures2 ... &Cat=*&s=4

Hey, the bigger photos do look different than Ps. japonica. It does look like Hib. tranquillans, as suggested. Hib. tranquillans is a cross between Phyllostachys and Sasa. It does have a sulcus like Phyllostachys. I also have the variegated Shiroshima, and not the type, but it does look a lot like it. Leggy, and sprawling. They make good small plants, but I have yet to see a large stand of it that looked good.

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Happy trails...

Here's my type form in 2007, I have to hack it back each year, the dog keeps an eye on it for me as well.

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Brad Salmon, zone 5b/6 Southern Indiana
Winters -20 to -25C. Summers 30 to 35C , humid. 115 cm annual precipitation, frost free from May through early October. 259.3 meters elevation. Growing 150+ species. http://www.needmorebamboo.com/

Hey I think that's the same plant that was on the link that Gene sent (minus the dog).

The sulcus on the mystery boo does run the entire length of the internode and the leaves are larger than the ph. bambusoides I have at home. I didn't think to look at the leaves on the more mature culms, maybe next time I'm there.

ROUND TWO
The mystery boo in the pots are putting up a couple of small shoots, maybe this will help in the identification. I may take a ride over to where the larger boos are growing in a few days to see if they are shooting. I still believe it may be ph. bambusoides but could use a positive id from the Temperate Experts. My ph.bambusoides that I planted over a month ago is not putting up shoots yet, so it is no help to me.
These are the shoots that are emerging.

looks like bambusoides shoots to me!

Also looks like P. vivax, their inmature shoots look similar as do their leaves. The imature plants of both Vivax and Bambusoides put out more leaves per branch than the mature culms. Vivax also shoots earlier than bambusoides. Bambusoides has hairy oral setae on culm sheaths but I am not sure if they are present in inmature culms, Vivax does not have oral setae.

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jT

ROUND THREE
I went back this week to do a little clean up and the bamboo was in various stages of shooting, some just popping up and some 18' tall. Now you Temperate Pros have enough info for a positive id. What do you think?

I still think P. bambusoides.... the shoots do look similar between bambusoides and vivax, but the mature canes and leaves on vivax are more yellow, where the mature bambusoides leaves and culms are more bright green.

Another vote for bambusoides, to be sure though just give the newly emerging culms a squeeze, their soft at this stage and you can easily feel the difference between the thin walled vivax and the much thicker bambusoides. If theirs any give, it'll be vivax, go easy though I've accidentally cracked new vivax culms

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Bamboo...Please note... This plant is seriously addictive and you may lose interest in other, less rewarding plants!

I would definitely call the mature culms bright green and not yellowish at all. I was amazed that some of the shoots that have come up were 18" tall, from boo that had been mowed last year and was only 6'-7' tall. Of course, the ph. bambusoides I have in the ground at home that was only 3' tall sent up shoots that were 8'-10'.

I'm going back tomorrow, so I'll give one a squeeze and see if it splits. I don't know how much pressure to put on the shoot so I guess I'll just squeeze til it bursts.