128 



BAMBOO 



BAMBOO 



long, %-2 in. broad, smoothish or pubescent : sheaths 

 very persistent: stems arborescent, rigid, simple the 

 first year, branching the second, afterwards fruiting at 

 indefinite periods, and soon after decaying. Banks of the 



184. Arundinaria nitida. 



larger rivers N. C. to Fla., forming cane-brakes. This 

 and the next are the only two species of Bamboos native 

 to the U. S. They are rarely cult, in Calif, and Eu. as 

 ornamentals. 



5. A. tecta, Muhl. (A. macrosperma, var. suffruticdsa, 

 Munro). SMALL CANE. SWITCH CANE. SCUTCH CANE. 

 Height 2-15 ft. : stems slender : Ivs. 3^-8 in. long, 

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

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

 B.B. 1:233. Sometimes fruiting several years in suc- 

 cession. 



cc. Species not native to the U. S. 



D. Plants relatively hardy. 

 E. Branches borne singly in the axils. 



6. A. Jap6nica, Sieb.& Zucc.^.Jfeta'fce.Sieb.). Height 

 6-10 ft. : Ivs. 6-12 in. long, 1-2 in. wide, above smooth 

 and shining, below whitened and finely pubescent : 

 sheaths conspicuous. Jap. M. 1. G.C. III. 15:239; 

 18:185. The commonest of all hardy Bamboos, and 

 readily distinguished from all other tall kinds by the 

 broader and larger Ivs. and by the broad, persistent 

 sheaths which almost cover the sts. It is especially dis- 

 tinguished from A. Simoni 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 st. Particularly 

 reconim"n(l,'d for cities. 



EE. Branches borne in dense, semi-verticillate clusters 

 (which easily distinguishes the Himalayan spe- 

 cies from Phyllostachys). 



F. Plants sometimes variegated. 



7. A, Simoni, A. and C. Riviere (B. Simoni, Carr. B. 

 viridi-stridta, Hort. A. and B. Narihlra, Hort.). 

 Height 10-20 ft. : Ivs. 8-12 in. long, about 1 in. wide, 

 pale beneath, very minutely pubescent, tapering to along, 

 fine point : mid-vein glaucous on one side toward the 

 apex, green on the other. Himal. and China. G.C. III. 

 15:301 ; 18: 181. A silver variegated form is sometimes 

 known as B. Haximowiczii, Hort., and B. plicata, Hort. 

 B.M. 7146. This is the tallest of the genus, and, next to 

 P. mitis, the tallest of all hardy Bamboos. The plant is 

 very late in beginning growth, and many of the culms 

 should be removed in order to let the strong ones ripen, 

 as weak shoots are untidy. It flowers occasionally, but 

 d>>es not die thereafter. It has a shabby appearance 

 until midsummer, and may take several years to be- 

 come established, meanwhile sending up dwarf, slender 

 shoots and narrow foliage, but Mitford urges patience, 

 as the plant is hardy, and ultimately very vigorous and 

 handsome. 



FF. Plants never variegated. 



8. A. Falconer!, Mitford ( T. Fdlconeri, Hook, f . B. 

 grdcilis, Hort., not Wall. ). Height 10-15 ft.: stems slen- 

 der, bright green, the internodes white-waxy : Ivs. thin, 

 3-4 in. long, about K in. wide. Himal. Not very hardy. 

 The leaf-sheaths are smooth, cat short at the top, with- 

 out a fringe, and with an elongated ligula ; while A. 

 falcata, No. 9, has very downy leaf-sheaths, fringed with 

 long hairs at the intersection with the leaf. The serra- 

 tions of the leaf-edges are more pronounced in A. Fal- 

 coneri, especially on one side. Venation of Ivs. on upper 

 surface is striate, not tesselated. 



9. A. falcata, Nees (B. falcata, Hort.). Height 6-10 

 ft. : Ivs. 3-5 in. long, about % in. wide, light green : 

 stems annual (perennial under glass), slender, tufted. 

 Himal. The great majority of the plants cult, under 

 this name are really A. Falconeri, which has larger 

 Ivs. In a small state, A. falcata can be distinguished 

 from No. 8 only by the glabrous leaf-sheaths of the 

 latter. The flower-bearing and leaf -bearing sts. of A. 

 falcata are distinct, the former flowering and seed- 

 ing each year. 



10. A. Hindsii, Munro (B. ertcta, Hort.). Height 

 sometimes 7 ft., branches quasi-verticillate : Ivs. up- 

 right at first, of various lengths up to 9 in., and about 

 % in. wide ; veins conspicuously tesselated; internodes 

 3-7 in. long, waxy-white ; leaf -sheaths with a few hairs. 

 Jap. The erect habit of growth is very marked. A re- 

 cent species of doubtful hardiness. Adv. by Dr. Fran- 

 ceschi, who considers it one of the hardiest. 



DD. Plants relatively tender (Wos. 11,12, 13). 

 E. Branches spiny. 



11. B. arundinacea, Retz. A majestic species, often 

 attaining a height of more than 40-60 ft. The stems, which 

 are produced in dense clumps, are green and shining, 

 with more or less spiny branches: Ivs. 4-8 in. long, %in. 

 or a little more wide, nearly glabrous ; sheaths persistent : 

 fls. are produced at long intervals, and after perfecting 

 seeds, the plants die. India. Nos. 11 and 12 are green- 

 house plants, not recommended by Mitford for outdoors. 



EE. Branches not spiny. 



12. B. quadrangularis, Fenzi. Stems square, especially 

 in older plants, 20 ft. or more high : Ivs. deep green, 

 serrate, 6-7 in. long, about 1 in. wide. Jap. Franceschi 

 says it is as hardy as any Phyllostachys. See No. 11. 



13. B.vulgaris, Schrad. Height 20-80 ft.: stems hollow, 

 4 in. in diam. or more ; branches numerous, striate ; 

 internodes 1-1% ft. long : Ivs. usually 6-10 in. long, 8-15 

 lines wide, sometimes 1 ft. long, 2 in. wide, rough on and 

 near the margins and beneath. India. G.C. III. 25: 390. 

 Sold south, but not recommended by Mitford. This 

 and D. giganteus are the only two Bamboos extensively 

 cult, in the Orient, though others are more useful. It is 

 also naturalized and cult, in the W. Ind., Mex. and Braz., 

 but there is no evidence of an Amer. origin. 



