230 IN A GLOUCESTERSHIRE GARDEN 



they come botanically about half-way between our 

 common meadow-grasses and wheat and barley. They 

 are very widely distributed, being found in large 

 quantities in Asia and America, but there are none wild 

 in Europe and only one in Africa. The family does not 

 consist of so many species as the palms, but General 

 Munro in his excellent monograph, published by the 

 Linnsean Society in 1866, described one hundred and 

 seventy species, which were increased in 1879 to two 

 hundred and twenty species by Messrs. Eiviere in their 

 book, Les Bamhous, a pleasant book specially devoted to 

 the culture of the hardy bamboos. 



Of these two hundred and twenty species perhaps a 

 dozen or more may be described as quite hardy, and 

 about as many more as doubtfully so, but all well 

 worth growing. The first that was introduced as a 

 hardy plant was, I believe, the Thamnocalamus Fal- 

 coneri, from the Himalayas, one of the most elegant, 

 though not the finest, and that was introduced about 

 forty years ago. But it was not till the introduction 

 of the Chinese and Japanese species that they were 

 recognised as amongst the very best of hardy plants, 

 and plants that perform a part in the garden which no 

 other plants can. I cannot describe or even name all 

 the hardy sorts. I find the hardiest are B. metake 

 and B. nigra, and I think the most beautiful is B. 



