Richlyn71,
Are there multiple branches at the nodes on the mature culms? I am guessing that the culms sheaths are on recent shoots rather than "persistent culm sheaths" on mature culms. With culms that appear to be that close together is probably a clumper and in zone 8b, probably a Bambsa. Did the parent plant weep over rather grow straight? My guess would be generic multiplex, aka Green Hedge, but very difficult to be sure from the photos.

Mike near Brenham TX

Mike, Thanks for your reply.
Yes there are multiple branches at each node and the pics are of younger shoots that were between 5-8' tall. The larger canes (parent plants) do not weep. I posted some pics on here eariler of a clumper and I think it was determined to be Green Hedge. The bamboo that I am asking about in this post do not look like that (or at least to me they don't). The young shoots are dark green while the older larger canes are lighter green. There are several clumps of these growing and then there are sparatic canes in rows coming up around the area. This is on a vacant lot where there has been alot of tractor work so thats why Im having a hard time figuring out if its running or clumping. Is there such a thing as semi running or semi clumping?

i'm guessing that your 1.5 inch diameter may be an overguess as none of the culms pictured approach 1 inch and therefore i would suggest that it may be arundinaria gigantea, which has multiple branches, persistent culm leaves and would explain the running

Inversa,
The canes in the picture are no more than 1/2" in diameter, these were young shoots that I dug growing away from the larger canes. The mature older canes are around 1.5" in diameter. I will go back this week and take better pics of the whole grove.
Thanks

if you're right on the 1.5 diameter, i'd be disinclined to think it is gigantea but still possible and the rhizome habit would be a very good lead - if its a runner then gigantea seems likely, if its a clumper then the bambusa lead should be spot on.

Richlyn71,

Yes, a picture of the parent would definitely help, including one of the branches at the node on a mature culm. This still reminds me of a clumper, but your description of a line of culms does sound more like a runner. There are a few bamboo that clump then run. My S. tootsik does this, but I do not believe this is tootsik which shoots in the spring and has dark hairs at the base of the culm sheath.

With respect to culm color, it is not unusual for mature culms of a green bamboo to bleach or yellow in the sun.

The rhizomes of a runner are much different than a clumper. How did these rhizomes compare to your other unknown you think maybe B. multiplex?

Where in Houston is this bamboo? I have to visit my doctor on the west side on Friday and if I get a chance may be able to swing by to take a look.

Mike near Brenham TX

Ok, maybe these pictures will help? Pictures 2 and 3 show canes that are mostly 3/4" - 1-1/4" some maybe 1-1/2". These groves were very thick, but a tractor came in and tore up a lot of it. I was told that this bamboo has been there for many years.

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Thanks,

o.k. that's a clumper for sure, not gigantea

I don't know what kind of bamboo that is, but from pic# 7025 and 7026, those are sure poision ivy at the front, so if you are going there to dig around the bamboo grove, please be careful...

The culms, leaves, stems, culm sheaths, and colour, all resemble a Bambusa as mentioned above, probably B. multiplex. The third picture is identical to B. multiplex.

Do you possibly mean, circumference instead of diameter? Comparing to the poison ivy in a couple of those pictures, the culms all look to be about 3/4 to 1 inch in diameter at most, possibly due to camera angle, though. Either way, it's probably a Bambusa since it is in 8b or possibly 9a, if in the Houston area.

A nice looking bamboo, and wouldn't mind having some to grow here for comparison to some of mine.

Kt

Kt,
A lot of the outer bamboo is 3/4" - 1", but in the middle there are bigger canes. I am going to try and get as much as I can before they turn the area into an apartment complex. So do you think it is the same as the Green Hedge (or what is thought to be green hedge) in my other post?
Comparing pictures, it looks pretty close, but not quite the same. I don't know if age has anything to do with it?
Also Caldwell Nursery in Rosenburg (just outside of Houston) Sells B. Multiplex "Green Hedge" and they list it as 20' to 25' tall, 1.5" diameter culms, good to 12 deg F
Thanks for everybody's replies on this. I am still learning all I can about bamboo.

Here is a link that might be useful: Caldwell Nursery - Green Hedge

My guess is that they are the same...B. multiplex.

Culms get lighter with age and they lean outward just like in your earlier posted pictures.

Mine grow shorter, but are in full sun with no tall plants around them. Bamboo will grow taller if it has to 'reach' for the sky as from having close plants that are taller than itself.

Mine look like the bamboo in your photos, not like the ones in the Caldwell Nursery photos, but they are most likely the same plants. Caldwell Nursery's culms seem to grow more crooked and a bit thinner than mine, but that can be due to many different factors.

I have several textilis plants in the ground, and all look alike except one that I planted out at our place in the country. It gets no care other than when I remove the dead culms. It grows thinner culms that are more spaced out, it grows shorter, and has lighter and fewer leaves than clones planted from the same original clump. At first glance, and if I didn't plant it myself, I would think that it is a totally different bamboo. So remember, they will not always grow identical to the 'mother' plant.

Anyway, it is always great to find some free bamboo, especially a clumper, but they are much harder to dig since the culms are much closer together.

Dig as much as you can...you can always sell/trade the rest.

Good Luck

Kt

I went and dug some small clumps yesterday and found an interesting piece of cane. Is this odd? or normal for B. multiplex.

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I noticed a culm like that in the fourth picture(second set) yesterday when I looked at it. I don't think it is at all normal for B. mult. to do this, but I found a similar looking one in my Bory grove this past Summer.

One possibility is that whoever planted the bamboo, planted more than one variety that became mixed as they grew.

P. aurea aka Golden Bamboo aka Fishpole Bamboo does this and it is a runner. Do the culm internodes have a groove on alternating sides above each branch?? I didn't see any in the photos. If they do, then the bamboo is most likely one of the Phyllostachys, the groove being characteristic to this species.

It still looks like B. Mult. to me, but if that culm grew from that plant, then it is most likely something else. You now have me wondering!!

Can you find any other culms like that, possibly some live ones??

If the bamboo is on the West side of Houston, it would be worth a trip to see it myself. More pictures, perhaps some close-ups of the culms, nodes, and leaves might be useful.

Any other info that you can think of will also help.

Kt

KT,
I will look to see if I can find anymore that look like this. There is quite a bit of the bamboo growing and I didn't really poke around too much. Some of it is really dense. I will be out of town all next week, but when I get back if you want to set a time to meet out there so you can have a look as well. Either way I will take a bunch of pictures close up and of the other clumps. Im like you in that I thought for sure it was B. multiplex until I saw that culm. Maybe there is more than one type there.
I don't think I am going to be able to get it all before they clear the land, but I hope to.