Getting to Know the Bamboos

1. Paintings bySharma Dendrocalamus giganteus Getting to Know the Bamboos Bambusa vulgaris ‘Vittata” Bambusa bambos var. gigantea

2. By Gib CooperTradewinds Bamboo Nursery at BAMBOODIRECT.COM INTRODUCTION A basic review of the different kinds of bamboo from around the world and where they perform in the USA. The different bamboo species are placed into several groupings for gardeners. HIMALAYACALAMUS HOOKERIANUS/BLUE BAMBOO

3. Introduction Natural Distribution Growing zones Taxon..Oh..My! Groupings: Clumping Not so clumping and running Dwarf bamboo Shrub bamboo Tall Shrub bamboo Timber bamboo Cold tolerant Heat tolerant Temperate Sub-tropical Tropical Getting to Know the Bamboos

4. BAMBOO REGIONS OF THE WORLD The natural distribution of bamboo in the world. CHUSQUEA LIEBMANNII

5. USDA COLD HARDINESS MAP Warm winters, cooler summers with cooler nightime temperatures Warm winters, hot summers with warmer nightime temperatures

6. Heat plays a role, particularly the species with tropical and mountain origins. Very Cold Hardy MountainBamboo and Temperate Runners Add thisZone for Temperate Runners Subtropical Clumpers and Tropicals in the Southern Tips The Not So Hardy Mountain Bambo

7. Basic Grass Parts Names of bamboo and grass parts are used in discussing bamboo identity. There are many descriptive terms used to describe various features. These botanical terms are usually in Latin - a dead language.

8. Taxon..Oh..My! Flowers Fargesia murielae var. SABE 939 Shoots Dendrocalamus asper Leaves Guadua amplexifolia Culms Bambusa vulgaris Wamin striata Sheaths Guadua angustifolia

9. Phyllostachys bambusoides Flowers Guadua velutina Otatea acuminata aztecorum Sasa palmata Chimonobambusa macrophylla ‘Intermedia’

10. Culm Sheaths & Shoots Bambusa oldhamii Phyllostachys edulis MOSO BAMBOO (formerly P. heterocycla pubescens) Dendrocalamus asper D. Asper sheath hat!

11. Culms Phyllostachys aurea Guadua aculeata Gigantochloa atroviolacia Schizostachyum brachycladum Dendrocalamus strictus Bambusa vulgaris ‘Wamin’

12. Leaves Phyllostachys flexuosa ‘Kimmei’ Guadua angustifolia (cuttings) Otatea acuminata aztecorum Rhipidocladum racemiflorum Olmeca reflexa Chusquea andina Bambusa sp. Chusquea bilimekii

13. Phyllostachys aurea flavescens-inversa Botanical Plant Names Binomial system - Names consist of genus beginning in a capital letter followed by the species name in lower case letters-example: Phyllostachys aurea. Standard species are those collected in the wild and brought into cultivation. Variants consist of individuals from a differing population found in the wild, variants found in cultivated populations or hybrids between related species. Phyllostachys aurea ‘koi’

14. The Herbarium Dr. Lynn Clark collecting bamboo parts. • The ID of bamboo is determined by taxonomists using dried plant parts systematically collected, prepared and stored on herbarium sheets. The photo (right) shows many of the native bamboo sheets the internationally recognized XAL Herbarium at the Ecology Institute in Xalapa. The Institute and Clavijero Botanical Gardens is the home of the National Collection of Mexican Bamboo.

15. Sample Herbarium Sheet from the Ada Hayden Herbarium at Iowa State University of Chusquea riosaltensis collected by Lynn Clark in 1991

16. An outline of the distinguishing characteristics of different bamboo genera. These differences are used as a guide to taxonomic identification. Generic Keys From American Bamboos From Bamboo in the United States

17. Reference Books

18. Clumpers Groupings: • Mountain Bamboo: These are bamboo species from the higher elevations of the Andes, Central America or the Himalayan regions of India and China. Many of these species are fairly recent introductions and have not been trialed in all areas of the USA. All seem to do quite well along the West coast. Some do well in the Midwest and Middle Atlantic regions to New England. They do not like the desert regions, Texas or deep South. Consider not ordering these if warm summer nights are the norm. They do not mind warm days but need cool nights. These are risky to grow if you are in the hot climates. Borinda boliana

19. Sino-Himalayan Bamboo Himalayacalamus porcatus Fargesia nitida Himalayacalamus hookerianus Himalayacalamus falconeri ‘Damarapa’

20. Latin America Cloud Forest Bamboo Chusquea sp. (New?) Chusquea aperta Chusquea sp. ‘las Vigas’ Chusquea bilimekii Mexican botanists, Gilberto Cortés and Antonio Velasquez in the Cofre de Perote cloud forest.

21. Groupings: Tropical Clumpers: These clumping bamboos are tropical in origin. Clumping bamboo can form tight thickets of culms or maintain culms a short distance apart. You should plant these far enough apart to walk between the clumps. These are the well behaved bamboo that stay put when planted. However, one must account for the eventual size of the mature clump mass to properly place the larger plants in the garden. • Bambusa chungii: Gigantochloa sp. Suwali

22. More tropical clumpers Bambusa malingensis Gigantochloa atroviolacia Dendrocalamus membranaceous

23. Tropical Timber Bamboo • Guadua angustifolia:

24. Not so Clumping Guadua angustifolia Long necked rhizomes can space the culms of some clumpers further apart than others. Guadua angustifolia

25. Odd things to confuse • There are culm oddities that may confuse a person in attempting to determine the I.D.of bamboos. Phy. viridis Robert Young (variant) Phy. viridis Robert Young (normal) A rare deformity

26. Groupings: Shibatea chinensis • Dwarf Bamboo: Pleioblastus viridi-striatus Pleioblastus variegatus/P. fortunii Sasa veitchii Peudosasa owatarii Sasaella hidaensis

27. Groupings: Shrub Bamboo Pleioblastus pygmaeus Hibanobambusa tranquilans ‘Shiroshima Chimonobambusa marmorea Indocalamus tessellatus

28. Groupings: Shrub Bamboo Pleioblastus gramineus Sasa palmata Sasaella masumeana albostriata Pleioblastus chino murakamianus

29. Tall Shrub bamboo Groupings Phyllostachys aureosulcata Aureocaulis (2 branches at node is a trait of Phyllostachys Semiarundinaria fastuosa Phyllostachys aureosulcata ‘Spectabilis’ Phyllostachys nigra Phyllostachys aurea (topiary style) Phyllostachys aureosulcata

30. Groupings: Timber bamboo Guadua angustifolia bi-color Phyllostachys heterocycla pubescens / MOSO Phyllostachys vivax Phyllostachys bambusoides

31. Groupings: Cold tolerant bamboo Phyllostachys nuda Bambusa oldhamii Phyllostachys bissetii Fargesia murielae Not-so cold tolerant? Fargesia robusta Fargesia nitida

32. Groupings: Heat Loving Bamboo • Not all bamboo can take the summer heat Bambusa vulgaris ‘Vittata’ Otatea acuminata aztecorum Dendrocalamus strictus

33. Groupings: Temperate runners Phyllostachys bambusoides Phyllostachys viridis ‘Robert Young’ Phyllostachys nigra Henon Phyllostachys nigra

34. Groupings: Sub-tropical bamboo Bambusa oldhamii Bambusa ventricosa Bambusa textilis Bambusa malingensis Bambusa multiplex

35. Groupings: D. Asper ‘Hitam’/Black Asper Tropical bamboo Dendrocalamus giganteus Dendrocalamus asper Thrysostachys siamensis Gigantochloa sp. Guadua aculeata Bambusa oldhamii Bambusa vulgaris Vittata

36. Guadua angustifolia

37. Thankyou Pseudosasa japonica