What's the scientific name? This common name could apply to a number of Indian bamboo.

Oops, sorry! It's Dendrocalamus strictus. Thank you for responding! : )

It does flower frequently, but it is generally available. However, like many bamboo, it's not particularly cheap. Below are some sources...

Here is a link that might be useful: D. strictus - ABS sources

I bought mine at Home Depot, and was skeptical of it's true ID since it came from HD, where I've seen mislabeled bamboo before.

If it actually is D. strictus, then it is definitely drought tolerant as we just got out of an almost 2 year severe drought. The day temps this past Summer had over 40 days over 100F.

I did water the plant whenever I had the chance, but sometimes it went over a week in between waterings.

The plant has started to recover and look nice although it has only been in the ground two years and is only about 8 feet tall.

I definitely like the plant...very upright.

I can't wait to see what it will do with a normal Summer of rainfall.

Kt

Thanks for the link, kudzu! I'll start shopping. : )
kentuck, you've given me some hope, though I've never seen any kind of bamboo at the HD,s here in Phoenix. We've been having 10 years of drought here, but I don't expect to ever get away with letting it live off rainfall. If it's really drought tolerant, I hope to water about once every 2 weeks, along with the usual landscape plants. Thank you also!
: ])

It's probably a good choice for your area (at least compared to a lot of other bamboo). Hope you find some at a decent price. The sources in the link are all members of the American Bamboo Society, so they should be reliable. Good luck.