456 



THE ENGLISH FLOWER GARDEN. 



HAMBUSA. 



may wander at pleasure without injury to 

 any nei.tjhbour. 



Bambusa palmata (? Arundituiria).— 

 A beautiful species, about 5 ft. high, 

 conspicuous from the size of its leaves, 

 which are often used by Japanese peasants 

 to wrap up the l^it of salt fish or other 

 condiment which they eat with their rice. 

 These are the chief beauty of the plant, 

 each from i ft. to 13 in. long and 3 in. to 

 ■})\ in. broad, tapering rather suddenly to 

 a very fine point ; the colour a vivid 

 green on the upper surface, glaucous on 



Bambusa palmata (fr^ 



a photograph by Lord 



sl=y). 



the lower. Both edges are serrated. 

 The rhizomes are e.xceedingly active, and 

 travel far. 



Arundinaria Veitchi much resembles 

 Batnbusa palmata in its habit, though on 

 a far humbler scale, the plant being only 

 about 2 ft. high and the leaves smaller 

 and more rounded at the point. The 

 leaves are about 7 in. long by about 

 2|- in. broad, green above, glaucous 

 below, glabrous and much ribbed. The 

 edges wither in winter, giving the plant a 

 variegated but shabby appearance ; but 

 the thick new foliage of spring is very 

 beautiful, and the plant runs fiercely, soon 



making a thick carpet and ousting all 

 weeds. 



A. metallica. — A species closely re- 

 sembling A. Veitchi., but lacking the ugly 

 withering of the leaf edges in winter. A 

 native of the north of Japan and the island 

 of Vezo, and hardy. 



Bambusa tesseilata.— Avery beautiful 

 species having the largest leaves of 

 any of the hardy Bamboos. The stem 

 is about 2^ ft. high, round, slightly flat- 

 tened at the top, the colour a purplish- 

 green, much hidden by persistent 

 withered sheaths. The slender new 

 rulms spring gracefully from the carpet of 

 irching foliage. Syn., Bambusa Raga- 

 inoivski. 



Arundinaria nitida.— A very lovely 

 species from North Western Szechuan. 

 The culms are purple-black, very slender 

 and round. The leaxes are small, lancet- 

 shaped, and tessellated. Quite the hardi- 

 est of all our Bamboos. 



A. angustifolia,— A lovely little Bam- 

 boo, about 9 in. to i ft. in height. The stems 

 are round, very slender, and when young 

 of a purplish colour. It is much branched ; 

 the leaves are about 4^ in. in length by 

 three-eighths of an inch in width ; they 

 are serrated on both sides, and somewhat 



i capriciously striped with silver variega- 



I tion. 



I A. marmorea. — A pretty and dis- 

 tinct little Bamboo, for which I have 

 chosen the name maj-morea on account 

 of the very peculiar appearance of the 

 young stems, which are folded in purple 

 sheaths, delicately marbled with a pinkish 

 silver-grey, through which, near the knots, 



! peep glimmers of the bright emerald- 

 green or dark purple of the stem itself. 

 The leaves, which are bright green, are 

 about 4^^ in. long by three-eighths to five- 

 eighths of an inch broad; they are ser- 

 rated on both edges, and have a marked 

 constriction at about half an inch from 



'• the very sharp end. The rhizome is 

 very active, new shoots appearing at some 

 distance from the parent plant. 



A. pygmaea. — The best and the smallest 

 of the dwarf Bamboos, invaluable for 

 making a carpet of soft brilliant green. 

 It grows with extraordinary rapidity, the 

 root-stock travelling great distances and 



i at a considerable depth. Stem about 

 6 in. to 16 in. high ; leaves about 4 in. 

 long by half an inch to three-quarters of 

 an inch broad. It grows so thick and 

 close that no weed has a chance against 

 it, but it should have plenty of room. 



A. Laydekeri.— Apparently a semi- 

 dwarf Bamboo, not, so far as my ex- 



I perience of it goes, particularly attractive. 



