The Mexican weeping bamboo, ''Otatea acuminata'', is a clumping

bamboo Bamboos are a diverse group of evergreen perennial flowering plants making up the subfamily Bambusoideae of the grass family Poaceae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family. The origin of the word "bamboo" is uncertain, bu ...

native to central and southern Mexico and

Central America Central America ( es, América Central or ) is a subregion of the Americas. Its boundaries are defined as bordering the United States to the north, Colombia to the south, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. ...

. The plant produces thick stands of culms with long narrow leaves. The weight of the leaves cause the long thin culms to bend, or weep. The clump's vegetation can reach or more in height and width in its native

habitat In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...

Cultivation

''Otatea acuminata'' and its cultivars are cultivated as an

ornamental plant Ornamental plants or garden plants are plants that are primarily grown for their beauty but also for qualities such as scent or how they shape physical space. Many flowering plants and garden varieties tend to be specially bred cultivars that i ...

, often planted in

subtropic The subtropical zones or subtropics are geographical and climate zones to the north and south of the tropics. Geographically part of the temperate zones of both hemispheres, they cover the middle latitudes from to approximately 35° north and ...

al and

temperate climate In geography, the temperate climates of Earth occur in the middle latitudes (23.5° to 66.5° N/S of Equator), which span between the tropics and the polar regions of Earth. These zones generally have wider temperature ranges throughout t ...

gardens in full or partial sun. The plant is drought tolerant when established, but benefits from periodic watering and feeding. Mexican Weeping Bamboo is easily grown in pots, reaching around tall. When planted in the ground it can reach or more with regular water. Mexican Weeping Bamboo is easy to propagate by dividing the root ball with a sharp spade. A particularly delicate look can be achieved by thinning the culms so that they are spaced or more apart. This allows dappled light to pass through the Mexican Weeping Bamboo, and the plant will sway gracefully in a gentle breeze. ''Otatea acuminata'' is a fast-growing clumping bamboo which can spread in each direction yearly. It is well suited to the climate and soil in

Southern California Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and Cultural area, cultural region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. It includes the Los Angeles metropolitan area, the second most po ...

, and can be successfully grown and propagated with minimal effort. Unlike many other bamboo species, the leaves do not brown at the tips even under suboptimal growing conditions.

Subspecies and cultivars

There are several subspecies and

cultivar A cultivar is a type of cultivated plant that people have selected for desired traits and when propagated retain those traits. Methods used to propagate cultivars include: division, root and stem cuttings, offsets, grafting, tissue culture, ...

s, including: * ''Otatea acuminata'' subsp. ''acuminata'' * ''Otatea acuminata'' subsp. ''aztecorum'' — the most commonly cultivated ornamental plant. * ''Otatea acuminata'' 'Dwarf' * ''Otatea acuminata'' 'Mayan Silver' * ''Otatea acuminata'' 'Michoacan'

References

External links

Bambusoideae Flora of Central America Flora of Chiapas Grasses of Mexico Grasses of North America Garden plants of North America Garden plants of Central America Drought-tolerant plants {{Bamboo-stub