One of my P A spectabilis shoots has inverted, with more green than yellow. Has not reverted to yellow groove, it is an inverse spectabilis. I will probably have to wait till next year to see if change carries on.. Has anyone else seen this? Did the change get passed on down the rhizome?

since regular aureosulcata is green with a yellow groove, and spectabalis is the inverse of that- yellow with a green groove, then inverse of spectabalis would be green with a yellow groove again- regular aureosulcata, which you said its not?

I think photos would help!

I planted a Spectabilis and have since been getting both it and Yellow Groove culms - only in 1 of 3 plantings of from the same vendor. The original plant was a B & B field division and I am not ruling out that there was also a Y Groove rhizome in the sod but I too have been curious to hear of other reversions.

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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/

This one culm, and it is the last one on a run, seems more like inverted specabilis than yellow groove because the band of yellow is wider and more vivid than any regular aureosulcata. Time will tell if this goes to strait yellowgroove. But this culm is more vivid. First node on culm is spectabilis, then it changes. No contamination from another stand or sod here. Regular yellow groove was my first bamboo and have several mature stands. so I know what it looks like in all stages.

Out of 3 'Spectabilis' groves all at least 4 years old this one sport culm from this year. One side yellow, and the other green all the way to the top.





Brad- My original plants came from Adam.

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David Arnold
Middle Tennessee Bamboo Farm
USDA zone 6b/7a

Your Photos say it all. I hope this mutation carries on for me. We will find out next year.

Is that a green sulcus on the yellow side, or a thin green stripe?

I have seen a similar culm to that in a Phy. vivax Aureosaulis grove. Except in that one, it started out as Aureocaulis at the base, and ended up as Huangwenzhu at the top. In the middle, one side was yellow, the other was green. It was really cool. I have a photo of it somewhere. The only bamboo that I have seen do what your type has done semi-consistantly was viridis Robert Young, which is why I like it so much (even though Bob Young is a really slow grower). Robert Young does that a lot. But even them the half and half culms are not that common.

My guess is that the Spectabilis rhizome is actually reverting to aureosulcata type, and the shoot was caught half way through the reversion process. Or it randomly reverted at the half way point of the shoot, and reverted back. It will be interesting to see what the rest of the rhizome does. I would bet that it returns to Spectabilis, or Yellow Groove, but no more dual shoots. I have seen Phy. aureosulcata Aureocaulis and Specatilis revert to type form (Yellow Groove) in stands. Phy. aureosulcata Aureocaulis also throw up random green stripes in culms. I have also seen Spectabilis throw up really random and heavy green striped culms.

Anyway, your culm is unique. Its a half and half. Half Spectabilis, and half type form. A reversion in progress. One of only two I have seen (well, one in person, and one in your photo).

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Happy trails...

Hard to tell from the photo but it's a green stripe. The sulcus is green at that level. It appears that the green side sulcus(sulci?) may yellow up with time as I seen hints of coloring now.

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David Arnold
Middle Tennessee Bamboo Farm
USDA zone 6b/7a

Yes, this is quite similar to what I've seen my Vivax 'Aureocaulis' do, it makes me more inclined to think that mine is indeed a mixture of the rhizomes as there is no gradual change, just instant Yellow Groove.

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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/

Its hard to imagine what new combination could come of this.... but clearly the cell layers are reorganizing.....
Would it be worth trying to rhizome prune around it to get more growth and more options?

I guess the best case would be something more like Vivax 'Aureocaulis' than P. a 'Spectabilis' already is. Perhaps only improvement by degrees is possible.

If and a big if, but...if it follows step with the Vivax it is likely to fully revert a substantial number of culms back to yellow groove. As I understand it, the Vivax 'Aureocaulis' will revert to Vivax 'Huangwhenzhu' over time. Biologically how this happens would be interesting to learn.

I'm trying to remember correctly but I think I recall Jos vDP telling me his V. 'Aureocaulis' turned into the Hung Inversa form, he isolated those rhizomes and it has stayed true - thus far. I don't think it was a Huang that reverted into the inversa - does that sound correct Mark?

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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/

One of my P. aureosulcata plants reverted to all green 'Alta' a number of years ago after a cold winter -24*F so now, after 5 years, part of my Aureosulcata grove does not have the yellow groove.

Bill

The vivax aureocaulis grove at Savannah Costal Gardens has green vivax, huangwenzhu, and h. inversa. It it the source of my h. inversa and it has stayed true through several propagations. I currently have 4 small groves that have proved to be great trading fodder!

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David Arnold
Middle Tennessee Bamboo Farm
USDA zone 6b/7a