444 BAMBUSA. 



THE ENGLISH FLOWER GARDEN. 



BAMBUSA. 



yellow, from 5 in. to 7 in. long, by I in. to 

 i in. broad. Not a strong runner, but a 

 beautiful and conspicuous evergreen plant. 



Bambusa pumila (? Arundinaria).^ 

 very pretty dwarf Bamboo somewhat like 

 'Arundinaria humilis, but smaller in habit, 

 the leaves are less broad, shorter, and do 

 not taper so gradually to a point. The teeth 

 of the serrated edges are less conspicu- 

 ous ; the lower sheaths are hardly so 

 hairy, and the nodes are less well defined 

 and far less downy. The stem is more 

 slender. 



Arundinaria Hindsii. A distinct and 

 beautiful species. In its first year with 

 me it has grown to a height of 6 ft. 

 3 in., but will evidently attain a greater 

 stature. The young dark-green stems have 

 a lovely white wax on them like the bloom 

 on a Grape. The leaves are 6 in. long by 

 about five-eighths of an inch across ; 

 they are thicker than in most Bamboos. 

 The colour is a beautiful dark green, fairer 

 underneath ; the veins are conspicuously 

 and beautifully tessellated. 



A. Hindsii var. graminea. A smaller 

 plant than the above, with leaves 9 in. 

 long by five-eighths of an inch broad, 

 and yellow stems ; considered by the 

 authorities at Kew to be another form 

 of the same species. The tessellation of 

 the veins of the leaves is not quite so 

 strongly marked as in the type. 



A. japonica. A fine and valuable 

 plant, generally grown in gardens under 

 the name of Bambusa Metake. The leaves 

 are from 8 in. to i ft. in length by about 

 \\ in., sometimes more, broad. The 

 upper surface is smooth and shining, the 

 lower side paler, rather glaucous and 

 wrinkled ; the edges are finely serrated. 

 The creeping root-stock in well-established 

 plants is very active, so that care must be 

 taken to give the plant plenty of room. 



A. Simoni. Of this fine species, at 

 Kew, old-established plants have reached a 

 height of 1 8 ft. The leaves are from 10 in. 

 to i ft. long, slightly hairy, lanceolate, 

 longitudinally ribbed, ending in a long 

 narrow point. So far as experience at 

 present goes, this is the greatest runner 

 of all the hardy Bamboos. Its young 

 shoots will appear at a great distance 

 from the parent plant. It should be 

 planted apart in the wild garden, where it 

 may wander at pleasure without injury to 

 any neighbour. 



Bambusa palmata (? Arundinaria}. 

 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 bit 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 

 3^ in. broad, tapering rather suddenly to 

 a very fine point ; the colour a vivid 

 green on the upper surface, glaucous on 

 the lower. Both edges are serrated. 

 The rhizomes are exceedingly active, and 

 travel far. 



Bambusa palmata (from a photograph by Lord 

 Annesley). 



Arundinaria Veitchi much resembles 

 Bambusa 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 1 

 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 tessellata. A very beautiful 

 soecies having the largest leaves o 



