Need Help with ID of this Big Bamboo

[NARJP]

I got a start of this from a local guy here in north cnetral AR. I would like to know what kind it is. Thanks. I have larger photos than this if needed. It was about 30 feet tall at least. He said his main stand that he started this stand from was taller but had to be cut down by the electric company because it was getting into electric lines. You cannot tell it from the photo but some of it was as bigger around than 1 1/2" plastic schedule 40 outdoor electric conduit and probably very close to the 2" size conduit. Thanks, Doug in north central Arkansas. I like this stuff better than the small native stuff I got a few months ago.

[Rex]

Hi narjp. Definitely need closer shots of the culms, leaves, and perhaps even the shoots!

[NARJP]

Here are some more photos of this same Bamboo. Two of them are photos of some of the smaller stuff I dug up with small culms and a big ball of dirt and roots intact and transplanted at my place. One of thse shows the leaves closer. The other photo is of some of the larger stalks he cut down and let me take with me.From my own research I am considering that they might be phyllostachys bambusoides or something similar to that. Correct me if I am wong, but I think that is what is called Japanese Timber Bamboo.

[ghmerrill]

Most likely, it is Golden Groove bamboo- P. aureosulcata. note the yellowish grove.

[foxd]

Yep, definitely Yellow Groove. Phyllostachys aureosulcata

[Rex]

Right on. Aureosulcata has green culms and yellow grooves! Cool huh ?

[Joseph Clemens]

Isn't there at least one other species of Phyllostachys that are green with a yellow sulcus? Such a one as Phyllostachys vivax 'Huangwenzhu', comes to mind. What determines that this is Phyllostachys aereosulcata and not Phyllostachys vivax 'Huangwenzhu'.

[David]

Hello Joseph,

I think what would separate the two is the rarity of 'Huangwenzhu'. The grove under question is mature so that would mean that it is likely 10+ years old. To the best of my knowledge 'Haungwenzhu' was not available in the US in the 90's. The shape/character of the plant which is upright with fairly short branches would tend to suggest aureosulcata. Vivax tends to bend over at the very top when it is mature.

Regards,

David

[Joseph Clemens]

Howdy David,
Your logic seems fairly solid; as I've a grove of Phyllostachys vivax 'Aureocaulis' (started with a one gallon division, five years ago) that has a section of rhizome that reverted to Phyllostachys vivax 'Huangwenzhu'. [I am working at isolating this to a grove of its own.] The culms are approaching one inch in diameter and about twelve to fifteen feet high. All the culms in this 12' x 12' raised bed do tend to bend over severely, especially in their top third or quarter.

Another question or two: In the photo shown in the first post there appears to be a group of culms in the front, left of the photo where they appear to be all yellow, or nearly so. Are these actually as they appear in the photo or is this just a trick of the light? Also, are there any examples of the occasional zig-zag culms, diagnostic for Phyllostachys aureosulcata?

[NARJP]

Here is closer shot of the culms. Yes I believe judging from the photo some of them had to be yellow but I wasn't paying that much attention to those sort of things at the time as I was just focusing on getting it. There were a few crooks, perhaps 1 in every dozen culms. I remember that much. You have to look close in the photo to find many at all.



It sounds very much like the description of Phyllostachys aureosulcata that I found on a certain web site.
http://www.bamboogarden.com/Phyllostach ... lcata.html

Thanks for all the help.

[NARJP]

Here it is in the heat of late summer and it is not suppsoed to be a good time to transplant Bamboo, but I transplanted about 8 small locations of this Yellow Groove around my 1 acre. In some places I put Culms with rootballs and other places I put small rootbals with culms cut to just a few inches tall and in some cases I planted rhizomes with no culms. The locations with rhizome only or rhizome with tiny short culms are already shooting to about 3 or 4 inches. I just put it in the ground on Aug 1st. I can see where this yellow Groove is going to be fast growing and hardy.

[BooNanners]

I can see where this yellow Groove is going to be fast growing and hardy.

I grow Spectabilis and Aureocaulis, the green stripe and golden form of yellow groove and they have been a source of much satisfaction since acquiring in '07. Two years/3 growing seasons later and each root bound 1 gallon planting has had to be restrained to a 8'x10' area by taking transplants that have run out of bounds. It forms an attractive dense screen quickly and suffered the least leaf burn of the 10 varieties I grow, this past winter. I think you'll be well pleased with your yellow groove. Good luck.