Which Phyllostachys is this?

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Re: Which Phyllostachys is this?

Post by foxd »

Brad, I emailed the information to Fraiser.

My Phyllostachys aureosulcata did not upsize that I could tell. But a lot of the bamboo that always stayed small due to the climate took off this year. The P. aurea and P. aurea 'Holochrysa' that I have planted in barrels are at least ten feet tall. That may not sound like much to people living in Southern states, but for Indiana that is amazing.

I keep staring at the Henon because it was one of the species that stayed small here, but this year it is the height that used to be considered the maximum for Yellow Groove here.

Aside from the Yellow groove I don't have any larger than 1.5 inch canes, but I really should go around and compile a list of height and diameter.
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Re: Which Phyllostachys is this?

Post by johnw »

Here are three follow-up pictures of that Phyllostachys which may be humilis (Brad) or bissetii (Adam). Eight new shoots since planting a month or so ago, one was the norm in a pot but no new ones in the last two years. Also unseen before, now in sun the lower new culms are purplish black and upper edge of the sheath have faded to whitish beige. Any further thoughts out there?
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Phyllostachys bissettii or humilis.jpg
Phyllostachys bissettii or humilis 1.jpg
Phyllostachys bissettii or humilis 2.jpg
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Re: Which Phyllostachys is this?

Post by needmore »

I find those 2 very tough to distinguish from one another, it could be either. Your earlier shoot photos showed some cream striation on the culm leaves that I associate with humilis and not bissetii so much.
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Re: Which Phyllostachys is this?

Post by johnw »

Thanks Brad. I am hoping it is taller bissetii. One book says humilis has glaucous leaf undersides. Do you agree with that? The leaves were fairly tattered so I failed to photgraph them. I will check the undersides and photo. It is starting to send out new leaves. I did notice a consistent 2 leaves per stem.

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Re: Which Phyllostachys is this?

Post by tncry »

johnw, could it be aureosulcata 'alata'? I have similar looking culms on my alata. I will post a picture tommorow?
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Re: Which Phyllostachys is this?

Post by johnw »

Nobody has mentioned that as a possility so I assume no.

Here are a few pix of the leaves. The dried tips were caused by drying out last summer before it was repotted. Seems much happier now in the ground.

Maybe these will help with the i.d.

Photo 1 - new leaf
Photo 2 - old leaf underside, I suppose this might be glaucous but doesn't appear very blue to me though I don't know how blue glaucous shld be in bamboo.
Photo 3 - old leaf upper side.

Leaves definitely shiny.

johnw - +17c here and low of 8c (46.4F) tonight. Still not tomatoe weather!
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Phyllostachys humilis or bissetii -3.jpg
Phyllostachys humilis or bissetii -2.jpg
Phyllostachys humilis or bissetii .jpg
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Re: Which Phyllostachys is this?

Post by Nicholas »

tncry wrote:johnw, could it be aureosulcata 'alata'? I have similar looking culms on my alata. I will post a picture tommorow?
I've got a plant that was sold as spectabilis which reminds me of this plant. Mine is very likely tissue culture and probably aureocaulis rather than spectabilis as I can't make out any green coloration in the sulcus. I am guessing the plant has reverted to a green form. Old culms are an olive green hue with some of the smaller branches actually having a yellowish colour. All new shoots except for the tiny one in this picture were dark green. I'm confident that it is no mix-up as this was a special offer from a large supermarket chain and they only had one type of phyllostachys.

From the first pictures johnw has provided it appears to me that the striping on the culm sheaths is quite pronounced. I've only seen pictures of humilis and bisetti shooting but they seem to have less striping.
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Re: Which Phyllostachys is this?

Post by needmore »

John, still tough to say on such a young plant, though I'm leaning towards bissetii - I can't interpret glaucous very well. Bissetii leaves do look distinct to me, when looking a several on a culm I start to see a pattern where the tips slightly twist on many leaves, plus bissetii leaves are dark and a little wider - not always of course just to make it tough. Humilis to my eye is always on the edge of a 'canoe' look as thought they are about to start to stress curl - not always though!

Your leaves look like they are beginning to do the twist though. Notice in your arcana photos how easily they could be brought into this mix? :bom:
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Re: Which Phyllostachys is this?

Post by johnw »

needmore wrote:Your leaves look like they are beginning to do the twist though. Notice in your arcana photos how easily they could be brought into this mix? :bom:
Brad - Don't mention it! I took one look at those shoots on arcana and forcibly shut my brain down, shocked at what I was seeing.

I spent last evening again trying to get a handle on new shoots, sheaths etc. on Phyllos in the Flora of China, Whittaker, Meredith and Bell. Some aspects mentioned and many discrepencies, others aspects described by one and omitted by the others etc. etc. Rhododendrons are a breeze in comparison, well most at least.

Now I will have to research arcana again. It does look iffy doesn't it?

A good friend who was a botanist here at a nearby university was a grass specialist though he knew little about bamboos. He went to Washington to study with McClure but McClure had died the day he got there. What terrible bad luck and loss. Had he studied with McClure he probably would have driven us all into an asylum.
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Re: Which Phyllostachys is this?

Post by tncry »

I have never purchased arcana or humilis and therefore I do not know what they look. I do have a couple different 'alata' plants. When I look at your mystery plant johnw, I keep seeing similarities to my 'alata' plants. I have attached a couple pictures for comparison. I know these bamboo are young and maybe 'alata' doesn't make sense according to when you aquired this mystery plant but I had to post these pictures for comparison.
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'alata'moncton2012c.jpg
'alata'moncton2012b.jpg
'alata'moncton2012.jpg
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Re: Which Phyllostachys is this?

Post by tncry »

Just one more.
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'alata'moncton2012d.jpg
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Re: Which Phyllostachys is this?

Post by johnw »

TC - another reason why we need a definitive classification key for Phyllos. P. humilis doesn't even appear in the online Flora of China. No question yours looks similar to mine though I can't tell much about the leaves. I will go by experts' opinion - Brad and Adam - who both lean toward bissetii. Which means your Alata might not be Alata perhaps? Also the P. arcana I posted shot of looks questionable at best. Like a house of cards tumbling eh?

Two pots of parvifolia here, both shooting - one creamy-coloured shoot has a big plume of culm blades at the tip. The other has no culm blades and quite differently coloured. The bladey one came up much later than the bladeless one. Precisely why I mentioned the asylum.

At least with the Fargesia you can name them by gestalt.
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Re: Which Phyllostachys is this?

Post by needmore »

I also can see the similarities with your alata, but I see differences and I think yours is indeed an aureosulcata clan member but John's shoots are different - less striped for one and a bit darker coloration. My eye also thinks your culms are brighter green than John's.

Here is an example of tough ID'ing bambooo can be, the 2 shoots in the photo are indeed the same species - now explain that one :roll:
2012oddvvx.jpg
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Re: Which Phyllostachys is this?

Post by tncry »

Here are a couple pictures of one of my bissetii plants in PEI for comparison.
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'bissetii'pei2012.jpg
bissetii2012pei.jpg
Last edited by tncry on Wed Jun 13, 2012 2:35 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Which Phyllostachys is this?

Post by tncry »

needmore - That picture you posted really supports your point. The reason I keep posting pictures is because I have three young bissetii and they really don't remind me too much of the johnw's pictures.
I really wish I didn't live 2 hours away from most of my bamboo. I could go out and snap some pictures of my plants for comparison because all my phyllostachys have some shoots in similar size to the those in johnw's pictures and they are all shooting now. I checked through my library of photos from this Spring and I have no nice pictures of my young nuda and bissetii shoots or a couple other 'alata' plants from a different supplier.

As another comparison, check out the picture of my 'alata' from a different supplier at my property in PEI. It doesn't look as similar.
Attachments
'alata'pei2012.jpg
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