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I have had this Bamboo a long time it's been in this location 10 years. I am in middle TN and got this from Meridian Mississippi. I have tried to identify it for a long time with no success. Can someone help me out a little? It spreads really far from the previous years shoots, it doesn't infill very much. This year's shoots are at least 1.5 inches in diameter.

I am inclined to think it is Vivax. The elongated pictures seem to be causing some distortion, but the upper culm sheaths/ shoot resembles Vivax.

It does look like vivax to me too. Just wondering why it would only be 1.5 in wide after 10 years, especially in the south. My vivax puts out 3 in culms, and I've seen pictures of southern stands where it is even bigger.

One bamboo that has similar culm sheath coloring, although usually a more "blotchy" pattern is P nuda. That at least would explain the slower growth and smaller culm width.

I agree with you on that. 10 year old vivax should be at least twice that diameter.

New culms of Phy nuda would be smoky dark at sheath fall and I'm not seeing that here, I'm feeling quite rusty on ID'ing Phyllostachys species these days, I have been working on a page that is not really ready but I went ahead just now and added to my website at http://needmorebamboo.com on ID'ing bamboo, it is a work in process but has multiple shoot photos and you'll see the smoky/dusky Phy nuda aspect.

Consider Phy bambusoides, I am unable to distinguish this from Phy vivax shoots and ther slow upsize would fit. Less likely it looks a bit like Phy viridis but that also should be larger by now, you can tell though by a thumbnail rub on the culms as they should be dimpled. Other leads to chase would be Phy viridiglaucescens but that is not so common in the US, Phy aurea, Phy makinoi.

On a different thread elsewhere we've almost come to the conclusion that it is Bambusoides. Everything I've seen points toward that.

Sounds right!