Confirmation?

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needmore
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Confirmation?

Post by needmore »

My turn for ID help! I responded to a Craigslist ad for rare collection, moving, must sell. The story runs, he bought several plants at California chapter (likely North Cal) bamboo auctions but has since lost the ID's. Some were mostly obvious to me but one that caught my eye had new green fuzzy culms - felt like felt, so I was thinking about the few green forms that are fuzzy, Moso, nigra forms, heteroclada can be fuzzy THEN I noticed that the older culms were a rich orange/gold and were fuzzy as well. The nurseries he said were at the auction indeed have rare species - Bamboo Sourcery, Hastings Schmidt were mentioned. What else stays fuzzy and turns yellow? The leaves also are moso like but the internodes are not particularly close together. No variegated leaves. Do the yellow forms of moso start out green and then turn yellow?

I also picked up what I am certain is aurea Holochyrsa and it is not fuzzy. I think I got 2 pots of Bambusoides Allgold but one has variegated leaves, no green in the sulcus an occasional thin green stripe - not in the sulcus. The other seems to be Allgold no variegated leaves, no stripes - could be a 2nd aurea though. Does Allgold have variegated leaves? None of these were fuzzy.

All of the pots were tremendously neglected, barely any soil, dead culms, dead rhizomes and extremely dry so maybe the gold is from stress and I have henon? I am skeptical that it is moso due to the longer internodes but then what is it?
Brad Salmon, zone 12B Kea'au, HI
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Tarzanus
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Re: Confirmation?

Post by Tarzanus »

Isn't Moso supposed to turn orange-ish with age? Here's an example I found http://botanyboy.org/wp-content/uploads/MosoCollage.jpg
How long are the internodes, are you talking about those at the base of the culm or in general? I'd bet Moso is the only one with that velvety feeling fuzz that doesn't go away with age easily.

Are the culms large enough to show adult characteristics or are they in juvenile state due to lack of water and overall stress? I assume that Moso in a neglected pot would look rather shitty - worst than any of the bamboos you've mentioned.

In any case, with some more care or perhaps if/when they get planted outside, they will show enough characteristics to properly ID them.
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Re: Confirmation?

Post by needmore »

No short internodes at all, and that rings false I think for moso. I'll post pictures when can, the older culms are only about index finger diameter but are clearly older than the green new crop and do not appear to be juvenile. The color is striking.

I really have trouble accepting that it is moso but then what is it? Nothing else I have is fuzzy once leafed out.
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Re: Confirmation?

Post by Tarzanus »

At index finger diameter (last year and smaller this year's shoots), my Moso seedling didn't have much shorter internodes. Well they do vary in length somewhat, but only due to low temperatures during the shooting. I'd assume California has warmer climate and those slight differences in internode length would appear even smaller.

There are literally tons of Moso seeds in circulation each season, so it's hard to rule it out as possibility. :mrgreen:
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Re: Confirmation?

Post by Nicholas »

Brad,

in the bamboos of the world there are descriptions of two phyllostachys edulis with yellow culms:

Phyllostachys edulis 'Lutea' and Phyllostachys edulis 'Aurea'

There is a culm-variegated form called 'Colombo' which is similar to Nabeshimana/Tao Kiang but which gradually turns more yellow with age.

You could also be looking at a seedling that has the same or similar characteristics to the above.
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Re: Confirmation?

Post by needmore »

I like the idea of a seedling, that would explain some things but it would not seem to make sense that the newer culms are smaller unless there was severe stress.

I'm also thinking that Kwangsiensis might be a possibility? My gut says it will turn out to be Henon.

You can almost see the fuzz in these not very close photos.
mtall.JPG
m1.JPG
mgd.JPG
mfuz.JPG
btfz.JPG
bfuz.JPG

BTW - this is after I cleaned them up and started some TLC. Had to cut out lots of dead canes and cut off branches etc.
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Re: Confirmation?

Post by Cooper12 »

did he have more :)
Jason Floyd
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Re: Confirmation?

Post by needmore »

Actually he did, there was one more pot of this same stuff, I almost bought 2. He also had one variegated ugly brute that I thought was likely simonii variegated form but it had tons of branches at the nodes like a semiarundinaria. It was ugly & abused but long thin leaves heavy with variegation.
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Re: Confirmation?

Post by Tarzanus »

IMG_9507.JPG
Image

I'd say it's Moso.

My photo: on the left, last year's culms. They have dense canopy (and I mean really dense - fargesia rufa after 2 years kind of dense) so they were not lit by sun after complete branch-out. If they were, I bet they would be less green and more yellow-ish. Dark rings at the nodes are not fading with time, it actually seems they get darker as culm matures. On the right is this year's growth. Just started to leaf out. The culms on the left are index finger size, the ones on the right around 2.3cm (1 EUR coin).

Your photo also shows similar circles at the node, but it's not nearly as dark as on my seedling. Leaves are paler than usually, which means it was most likely suffering in the pot with insufficient watering. Had the same dwarf division of my moso in a small pot. Got pale as soon as temps got over 25°C, only got deep green in the spring and autumn. That would also explain the downsize.

You should know for sure next spring. Keep it nicely watered and fertilized, at 1 inch, shoots get quite distinctive already.

BTW, one question regarding the 'Henon'. I always thought they have gray-ish hue due to wax, not the fuzz. If they are in fact fuzzy, it might as well be 'Henon'. But it's kind of too yellow. If it is, you'll see the shoots, nigra has distinctive shoots. Now the waiting. One year. :)

Nice plant, btw. But I'm not the one to judge, almost every bamboo is nice for me :mrgreen:
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Re: Confirmation?

Post by fredgpops »

If you know the year of the ABS auction (Foothill college)< I'd contact the NCAL Chapter and see if they have a record of plants sold at the Rare Bamboo Auction. I think the donors need the info for tax write-off.
Hard to believe Moso warrants rare bamboo status. Their stuff is usually semi to full blown rare. Rgds
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Re: Confirmation?

Post by needmore »

fredgpops wrote:If you know the year of the ABS auction (Foothill college)< I'd contact the NCAL Chapter and see if they have a record of plants sold at the Rare Bamboo Auction. I think the donors need the info for tax write-off.
Hard to believe Moso warrants rare bamboo status. Their stuff is usually semi to full blown rare. Rgds
That is why I think it would not be straight moso if indeed moso. The guy was too sketchy to recall when, he said his Mom had her place in Sunset mag a couple of times and some of his bamboo came from her and people she knew who owned nurseries. I think most of his rare stuff was gone already by the time I got there.

Fred - does the variegated Simonii stack branches at the node like a semiarundinaria? This one reminded me of A gigantea in how sloppy it looked with many up pointing branches at the node, long very slender variegated foliage. I should have bought it but it was quite a mess.
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Re: Confirmation?

Post by fredgpops »

Some nice branch detail photos of the simonii var in the photo section. The simonii var. is a pretty unique and beautiful plant. The long variegated leaves are stunning. Temple bamboo (also a nice branch detail photo is available) is somewhat similar re branching but the simonii is more complex. I may have a plant or two of the simonii var. when you visit. Rgds
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Re: Confirmation?

Post by Deane »

Brad did you ever find out which bamboo it was ?
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Re: Confirmation?

Post by needmore »

Looks to be straight Moso, now a nice clump planted in 10/17.
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Re: Confirmation?

Post by Deane »

Very nice, has it sized up much ?
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