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miketropic

Got new bamboo strange habit

miketropic
11 years ago

I went and dug some bamboo I found growing wild today wince it was nice outside got a whole truck load of it. I think its yellow groove so fairly common. Anyways some of the culms had a strange habit. when the leaves were suppose to come out they never did they stayed very tightly clumped and looked realy strange...so I took about 5 culms of that type. Anyone know what would make it do this

Comments (14)

  • kudzu9
    11 years ago

    The bamboo in your photo is not Yellow Groove. It could be something like Semiarundinaria fastuosa or Thamnocalamus tessalatus. If only some of the bamboo looks like that shown in your photo, it likely means that you found a mixed grove of two species. It may be possible to do more of an ID if you provide more detailed photos of the whole plant and closeup shots of the culm, plus a physical description of the culm:

    -Is there a sulcus? If there is, what color?
    -How tall are the culms and what diameter?
    -Are there persistent culm sheaths?

    Here is a link that might be useful: S. fastuosa

  • miketropic
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    well it is pouring down rain but I have to go prop some of them back up from the wind so I will take pictures of everything I can. This was a large patch I found growing on the side of the road way out in the country. the plants were Id say 20-25 ft tall. none had very large diameter culms maybe 1 inch at most. no sheaths that I could see. the thing I did think strange was inside the grove there were 100's of dead culms. all smaller but I have never seen bamboo die like that. there was this very tight branched stuff and other with very wide branchs. back with pics in a few

  • miketropic
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    here are a few more pics of it. this culm is about 15 ft tall

  • miketropic
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    tight branchs

  • miketropic
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    all the culms together. out of this whole load only 3 of them had this habit and I left a few more there I can go back and get if they are infact differant types. I think that half fallen down shed makes it pretty obvious that I'm trying to screen out the neighbors LOL

  • gardener1
    11 years ago

    I have some yellow groove that looks like the first pic. Mine had frost damage while it was shooting it's branches. so the ends of the branches died off and then it forced out a bunch of leaves just like that one did. And the leaves stay tightly clumped together giving it an all together different look. Bamboo does some of the craziest things I've ever seen any plant do. It amazes me more and more every day.

  • gardener1
    11 years ago

    Are we allowed to tell links to our own bamboo blogs on here in a post?
    I don't want to break the rules but i dont quite understand them.

  • kudzu9
    11 years ago

    Miketropic-
    Ok...I'm going to eat my words. Those are definitely Yellow Groove (Ph. aureosulcata) culms. The yellow sulcus plus the bends at the bases of some of the culms make that a no-brainer. However, I have never seen Yellow groove -- or Phyllostachys in general -- with such a tight habit. I'll be interested to hear from you if these particular culms open up any more. Whether you have some random variation or what, I don't know. But that would be great for your screening purposes if it keeps growing like that.

    One more thing: do the culms with the tight leaf habit all display the yellow groove at the base?

    P.S.: As far as the many dead culms, that could be from a period of drought and/or the natural result of a grove that has not been maintained for many years.

  • kudzu9
    11 years ago

    gardener1-
    There is no problem with posting a link to your own bamboo blog as long as it is not an attempt to post a commercial link or sell something. I've seen many links to personal blogs on GardenWeb and it's often quite useful to see what people record and post about.

  • miketropic
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    there were only a very few of the tight branch type. I took 3 I think and left a few. honestly they were the harder of the type to get out of the ground. I will update and let you know if they branch out in spring or not. most of every culm had some yellow on them..some almost a solid yellow but I think that was more sun burn due to the direction they were growing. The grove isn't really anyones so the drought part is likley its on a country roadside. some guy came out and wanted to know what I was doing said they were his but I could have them then I told him I already knew that and they wern't really his they were county property LOL he dosent like me much now but I have my own bamboo patch to pick through anytime.

  • gardener1
    11 years ago

    Mike does this look familiar? Kudzu in that case check out my blog at gabelmans gardens.com or mybamboogrove.com,.net and.info. And Thank You

    Here is a link that might be useful: My Bamboo Grove

  • gardener1
    11 years ago

    Mike-
    check out the branches on the tight clumped ones and see if the look like they were broken off or if they taper all the way to the ends. If they aren't broken off you might have something very special. Here is a pic of a clump I had many years ago. Phyllostachys Aureosulcata or Yellow groove.

  • miketropic
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    I'll check on them when I go outside again. sadly though I'm not sure there going to make it. given the trasplant shock and the recent cold temps they have horrible leaf roll and are looking very dried up. I was afraid to water them that it might freeze by the rhizomes and make it worse. rain comming in a few days so that might help. There are a few more in that grove like that if they don't make it but I really don't want to have to dig anymore.

    Have you had any problems with that sasha running really heavy? I have heard there very invasive and im not sure if I want to pot plant it or just find a good spot it can run and I won't care how invasive it gets. The one I got was a single cane but the rhizome is over 12 inchs long so it should shoot this season if I can get it in the ground soon enough.

  • gardener1
    11 years ago

    Mike-
    I've had my Sasa in the ground for 4 years and it's not much bigger than whats in the pic.But mine is supposed to be a clone from a crossbreed. I got it from a Botanist named Jack Jarvis who lives in North Carolina. He said that He and I were the only people in the whole world that have this species. But It just looks like sasa veitchii to me. But I trust this man. Back on subject. It's too cold for it to run rampant. Although it might after a few more years. I think the cold really slows down alot of the runners. Now with that being said there are those that run strong and fast like Phyllostachys Aureosulcata yellow groove. Or Phyllostachys Rubromarginata I don't think anything can stop it except my shovel.

    Here is a link that might be useful: my bamboo grove

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