446 



BAMBOO 



BAMBOO 



457. Arundinaria nitida. ( :: ' 



6. A. pumila, Mitford (B. pumila, Hort.). Height 

 1-2 ft.: sts. very slender, purplish, white-waxy below 

 the nodes: Ivs. 4-5 in. long, %in. or less wide, minutely 

 pubescent, bright green. Much rarer than B. Veitchii, 

 dwarfer, the sts. merely purplish, the Ivs. shorter and 



narrower. The Ivs. are a 

 darker green than in A. 

 humilis, shorter, narrower, 

 and taper less gradually; 

 nodes less well denned, but 

 having a waxy bloom; in- 

 ternodes about 2 }^ in . long. 



7. A. humilis, Mitford 

 (A. Fdrtunei var. viridis, 

 Hort.). Height 2-3 ft.: 

 branches in 2's and 3's, 

 long in proportion to the 

 sts.: Ivs. 4-6 in. long, the 

 largest about J^in. wide, 

 pale green : internodes 2-5 

 in. long. Japan. A rare 

 and pretty plant, liable to 

 confusion with A. pumila, 

 but the sts. lack the waxy 

 bloom of that species. 



DD. Plants taller than in D, 



usually in excess of 3 ft. 

 E. Sts. hollow, cylindrical, 



or nearly so. 



F. Culms purple, or 



purplish. 



8. A. nitida, Mitford. 

 Fig. 457. Height &-10ft.: 



sts. slender, seldom exceeding a lead-pencil in thickness, 

 black-purple in color: Ivs. 2-3 in. long, J^in. wide, 

 shining green above, pale beneath; sheaths purplish, the 

 ligule without hairs. China. M. 73. G.C. III. 18:179; 

 24 : 21 1 . Gn. 49, p. 388. One of the daintiest and most 

 attractive of the arundinarias, and exceptionally hardy. 

 Some shade is desirable, as the Ivs. are often injured by 

 strong sun. Easily distinguished from A. Veitchii and 

 A. pumila by the deeper color of the sts., which are 

 almost black. 



9. B. fastu&sa, Latour-Marliac. Height 15-20 ft.: 

 culms marked with purple-brown: the internodes with 

 aii unusually large cavity: branches numerous, erect, 

 giving a columnar outline to each St.: sheaths shaded 

 with purple: Ivs. 5-7 in. long, an inch or less wide, bright 

 green above, glaucous beneath. Japan. 



FF. Culms green or golden, 

 a. Species native. 



10. A. macrosperma, Michx. LARGE CANE. Height 

 15-25 ft., with numerous, short, divergent branches: 

 Ivs. 4-8 in. or more long, %-l% in. broad, smoothish 

 or pubescent; sheaths very persistent: sts. erect, rigid, 

 simple or sparingly branched the first year, becoming 

 dense and leafy the second, afterwards fruiting at in- 

 definite periods, and soon after decaying. Chiefly along 

 river banks, Va. and Ky. southward. Forming cane- 

 brakes, sometimes of great size and density. This and 

 the next are the only bamboos native to the U. 8. 

 Sometimes cult, as an ornamental. 



11. A. tecta, Muhl. (A. macrosperma var. suffruti- 

 cosa, Munro). SMALL CANE. SWITCH CANE. SCUTCH 

 CANE. Height 2-12 ft.: sts. slender: Ivs. 3-6 in. long, 

 4-12 lines wide, roughish ; sheath bearded at the throat. 

 Swamps and moist soil, Md. and S. Ind. southward. 

 A form, perhaps specifically distinct, which may be 

 known as var. decidua, common in \V. N. C., has the 

 peculiarity of dropping its Ivs. every autumn, and pass- 

 ing the winter in a leafless state. The foliage of this 

 deciduous cane turns yellow in autumn, drops, and in 

 early spring the culms resume their verdure. 



GO. Species not native to the U. S. 

 H. Branches borne singly in the axils. 



12. A. japdnica, Sieb. & Zucc. (B. Metake, Sieb.) 

 Fig. 458. Height 5-10 ft. : Ivs. 4-8 in. or more in length^ 

 1-2 in. wide, smooth and shining on the upper surface, 

 below whitened and finely pubescent; sheaths conspicu- 

 ous. Japan. M. 1. G.C. III. 15:239; 18:185. The 

 commonest of the hardy bamboos, and readily dis- 

 tinguished from other tall-growing kinds of arundinarias 

 by the large, broad Ivs. and by the broad, persistent 

 sheaths which almost permanently enwrap the canea. 

 From A. Simpnii it differs by the bud being a simple 

 flattish scale, instead of a complex scaly one, and also by 

 the less amount of waxy bloom on the sts. Particularly 

 recommended for cities. 



HH. Branches borne in dense, semi-verticillate clusters. 



13. A. Simonii, A. & C. Riviere (B. Slmonii, Carr. B. 

 viridi-slriata, Hort. A. and B. NariKira, Hort.). Height 

 10-20 ft.: Ivs. 6-10 in. or more in length, usually lc<- 

 than an inch wide, sometimes striped with white, 

 tapering to a long, fine point ; mid-vein glaucous on one 

 side toward the apex, green on the other. Himalayas, 

 China and Japan. G.C. III. 15:301; 18:181. A" sil- 

 ver-variegated form is sometimes known as B. Maxi- 

 mowlczii, Hort., and B. plicata, Hort. B.M. 7146. 

 One of the tallest of the arundinarias. Very late in 

 starting into growth. It flowers quite frequently, and 

 does not die down entirely after blooming, as some 

 kinds do. Resistent to drought, hardy and ultimately 

 very vigorous and handsome. 



14. A. Hindsii, Munro (B.erecta, Hort.). Height 6-10 

 ft. : culms straight, the branches appearing as if whorled : 

 Ivs. upright at first, varying in length up to 9 in., and 

 about %in. wide; the veins conspicuously tessellated: 

 internodes 3-7 in. long, waxy-white; sheaths with a 

 few hairs, long persistent. Japan. The erect habit of 



458. Arundinaria japonica. (x ';) 



