![]() It’s a good idea to keep the lower portions of the plant well pruned, up to about 3 or 4 feet. Thick foliage makes it a good bamboo for a privacy screen, as well. They can also grow in a wide variety of climates, at least zones 6-9, and cold tolerant to about 0º F. They do have running roots, but not dangerously aggressive. The canes can grow about 15-25 tall, with a diameter of 1-1.5 inches. Otherwise, the two varieties are fairly similar. But this species is not known to zig zag. It goes by the common name Yellow Groove Bamboo, as it has a yellow stripe along the sulcus groove. ![]() The main species ( Phyllostachys aureosulcata, without the ‘Spectabilis’) is also quite popular and attractive. Otherwise the culms usually start out green, and slowly turn to a buttery yellow color. While the zigzag only happens here and there, almost every culm with have a green stripe running along the sulcus grooves. Not only does it have occasionally zigzagging culms which give the plant a stunning appearance, but the culm also have stripes. You might not find this collector’s species at your local nursery, but it’s one well worth looking for. But if you find it, you know you have a Phyllostachys, and that means it’s a running bamboo, potentially very fast spreading, and relatively cold hardy. Sometimes the groove is subtle, and sometimes it’s very pronounced. The grooves begin just above the nodal joint, at the point where the lateral branches come out. Look for the sulcus groove, which is the narrow groove or indentation that runs lengthwise up the internode on alternating sides of the culm. And as it happens, Phyllostachys is one of the easier genera to recognize. The most popular bamboos with zigzags both belong to the genus Phyllostachys. Even with bamboos that are known to do this, only about 20 percent of culms (very roughly speaking) with exhibit this eye-catching feature. But don’t expect every stalk of the plant to make a zig zag. It’s pretty uncommon for bamboo to grow with zigzag culms, so when you see this trait, it can really help you narrow down the possibilities. But even then, it’s hard for the novice bamboo grower to be 100% sure. And when you buy a small, potted bamboo from a nursery, you may have no idea whether it will remain compact and petite or grow up to be a massive timber bamboo.īut once in a while you come across a unique species with some defining characteristic that can’t be missed. No, you won’t end up with a poisonous bamboo, but you can end up with an invasive variety of running bamboo. And a mistake can cost you some great discomfort. Like identifying mushrooms, recognizing bamboo species can be tricky. ![]() Or maybe it’s a completely different species of bamboo, with different shaped stems, different sized leaves, and most importantly, an altogether different growth habit. Maybe if they bring it home and take really good care of it, the bamboo will grow out to be beautiful like the one they saw in the botanical garden? Maybe. ![]() But the plant in the nursery doesn’t look quite the same. Rushing off to the nearest nursery, they may demand to purchase whatever bamboo is available. It’s not uncommon for someone to see a beautiful specimen of bamboo growing in a park or garden somewhere, and suddenly develop a case of herbal envy. But to know what species of bamboo you’re looking at requires a great level of expertise. That is, you can almost always recognize a bamboo plant pretty easily, with its long, upright, segmented stalks (culms). Identifying bambooīamboo can be one of the hardest plants to identify with precision. And by knowing more about them, you can decide which variety, if any, would make the most sense in your garden and your climate zone. In the following article we’ll help you identify the different species of zigzag bamboo. Shibataea kumasasa, a smaller and more exotic species, also goes by the name zigzag bamboo because of its unusual configuration of leaves.įor real collectors and bamboo aficionados, these distinctively shaped bamboos can make for real prized specimens. Phyllostachys aureosulcata ‘Spectabilis’ and Phyllostachys flexuosa are among the two most common varieties of bamboo with zigzags. Among the columns of upright culms, these unusual bamboo plants will stand out and add an extra dimension of visual interest to an already attractive grove. Some of the most interesting specimens are the bamboo with zigzags. But of the nearly 2,000 species and cultivars of bamboo, there’s more than a handful of varieties that stand out with unusual traits and characteristics. For the most part, this would be a pretty accurate description. If you asked your average Sam on the street to describe a bamboo plant, they could probably tell you it’s made up of long, tall stems that resemble straight, hollow tubes, typically yellow in color with a canopy of narrow leaves.
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