968 



PB ACTIO AL GUIDE TO GABDEN PLANTS bambusa 



downy and glaucous beneath. They re- 

 tain their beautiful freshness throughout 

 the winter months. When grown as a 

 carpet or bordering the plant is very orna- 

 mental. Its growth is so dense and rapid 

 that weeds have no chance to develop. 

 It increases with the greatest freedom 

 by division just after growth begins in 

 spring. 



Culture <&c. as above, p. 964. 



A. racemosa. — A low-growing Bamboo, 

 native of the north-eastern Himalayas, 

 where it is found at an elevation of about 

 12,000 ft. and attains a height of 15 ft. 

 or thereabouts. It has smooth round 

 stems with joints about 2 in. apart, fur- 

 nished with bright green leaves 2-4 in. 

 long, with distinctly tessellated venation. 

 It seems to be quite hardy, and retains 

 its foliage during severe winters. 



Culture dc. as above, p. 964. 



A. Simoni {Bambusa Svmoni). — A 

 splendid strong-growing Chinese Bamboo 

 20-25 ft. high, the stems being 1 in. 

 or more in diameter at the base. The 

 branches are borne in dense alternate 

 clusters at the joints, and are luxuriantly 

 furnished with graceful slight hairy leaves 

 about 1 ft. long and 1 in. or more 

 wide, tapering to a fine point. Like 

 A. chrysantha, the under surface of the 

 leaf is glaucous on one side of the pro- 

 minent midrib but not on the other, and 

 5 or 6 veins are conspicuous on each 

 side of the midrib. The rhizomes of this 

 species spread a great distance — often 4 ft. 

 or more from the main stock. It is there- 

 fore best to isolate the plants in positions 

 where they may spread and increase at 

 will, otherwise, if grown with other 

 species, a sharp lookout must be kept for 

 distant suckers. 



There is a variety called albo-striata 

 in which the leaves, or a large number 

 of them, are striped with white, but they 

 are much shorter and narrower than the 

 green ones. 



Culture dc. as above, p. 964. 



A. spathifiora (Thammocalamus 

 spathiflorus). — A beautiful Hardy Bam- 

 boo from the Himalayas, at an elevation 

 of about 9000 ft., remarkalile for its grace- 

 ful tessellated foliage. 



Culture Sc. as above, p. 964. 



A. Veitchi {A. Tcurilensis pcmiculata ; 

 Bambusa a bo-marginata ; B. Veitchi). 

 A native of Japan and the Sachalin 



Islands, very much resembling .d.^aZmaia 

 in habit, but not in height, as the stems 

 are only about 1-2 ft. long. They are 

 clothed with narrow oblong leaves about 

 7 in. long and 2| in. broad, of a deep green 

 above, glaucous below and much ribbed. 

 In winter the edges turn yeUow and then 

 brown, ' giving the plant a variegated but 

 shabby appearance,' as Mr. Freeman- 

 Mitford says. In spring the plants, are 

 very beautiful when putting on their 

 mantle of fresh green foliage. The rhi- 

 zomes spread with great freedom, and the 

 ground is soon carpeted with growths 

 from them. A. meiaMiciz closely resembles 

 this species, but the leaf edges do not 

 wither in winter. 



Culture do. as above, p. 964. 



BAMBUSA (Bamboo). — Although 

 most of the Hardy Bamboos now described 

 under Arundinaria and Phyllostaohys 

 have been referred to this genus, only a few 

 species are now regarded as properly 

 belonging to it. As they require the 

 same cultural treatment as detailed above 

 at p. 964, it is unnecessary to repeat the 

 information here. 



B. ang^stifolia {B. Vihnorini). — A 

 charming httle Japanese Bamboo 9-12 in. 

 high, with round and very slender stems, 

 which are tinged with purple when young. 

 The serrated leaves are about 4^ in. long 

 and f in. wide, more or less heavily striped 

 with silvery white. Owing to its dwarf 

 habit this species may be utUised for 

 bordering the Bamboo garden. 



Culture Ac. as above, p. 964. 



B. disticha (S. nana, Hort.). — A dis- 

 tinct and pretty Japanese Bamboo 2-3 ft. 

 high, forming dense tufts of stems which 

 branch close to the ground, and are 

 clothed with 2 rows of leaves each about 

 2J in. long and about f in. wide, furnished 

 with hairs on the margins and on top of 

 the sheath. It is quite hardy. 



Culture dc. as above, p. 964. 



B. marmorea. — A very distinct and 

 handsome Japanese species readily recog- 

 nised by the peculiar appearance of the 

 young stems which are covered with pur- 

 ple sheaths, delicately blotched or marbled 

 with a silver-grey pink. These sheaths 

 are so close together that they almost 

 obscure the stems, which are of a bright 

 emerald green or dark purple according to 

 age. The bright green serrate leaves are 

 about 4J in. long and 3-5 eighths of an 



