''Phyllostachys bambusoides'', commonly called , giant timber bamboo, or Japanese timber bamboo, is a species of

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants t ...

in the

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, ...

subfamily of the grass family

Poaceae Poaceae () or Gramineae () is a large and nearly ubiquitous family of monocotyledonous flowering plants commonly known as grasses. It includes the cereal grasses, bamboos and the grasses of natural grassland and species cultivated in lawns an ...

, native to China, and possibly also to Japan.

Description

''Phyllostachys bambusoides'' is a "running" (monopodial type) evergreen bamboo which can reach a height of roughly and a diameter of . The culms are dark green, with a thin wall that thickens with maturity, and very straight, with long internodes and two distinctive rings at the node. The species is thin-skinned, easily split lengthwise, has long fibres, and is strong and highly flexible, even when split finely. Leaves are dark green, and the sheaths are strong and hairless. New stalks emerge in late spring and grow at a rate of up to a day; one specimen produced culms growing a remarkable in 24 hours. The flowering interval of this species is very long, lasting roughly 120 years.

Uses

In Asia, ''Phyllostachys bambusoides'', known in

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the n ...

as , is one of the preferred bamboos for construction and furniture manufacture. Its properties also make it useful in a number of traditional Japanese arts and crafts: * Both and ''

Phyllostachys edulis ''Phyllostachys edulis'', the bamboo, or tortoise-shell bamboo, or (), ( ja, モウソウチク), () is a temperate species of giant timber bamboo native to China and Taiwan and naturalised elsewhere, including Japan where it is widely distrib ...

'' (known in Japanese as ) are used in the making of flutes * The hairless and flexible sheaths of - known as or - make it apt for wrapping food, and in the production of woodblock printing tools. * The uniform, plain-colour sheaths of the variety were traditionally used to weave the coverings of some geta, a covering known as ; however, in modern times, the variety used is a different and unknown species, grown in China and bleached to be plain in colour. * The long internodes and equally long fibres of the bamboo make it ideal for traditional

basket-weaving Basket weaving (also basketry or basket making) is the process of weaving or sewing pliable materials into three-dimensional artifacts, such as baskets, mats, mesh bags or even furniture. Craftspeople and artists specialized in making baskets ...

and the production of fans. ''Phyllostachys bambusoides'' is cultivated as an ornamental plant in temperate zones worldwide, with numerous

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 being available. Some grow to extreme lengths and heights, making them typically only suitable for parks and large gardens; however, more compact cultivars are available. The following cultivars are recipients of the

Royal Horticultural Society The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), founded in 1804 as the Horticultural Society of London, is the UK's leading gardening charity. The RHS promotes horticulture through its five gardens at Wisley (Surrey), Hyde Hall (Essex), Harlow Carr (Nor ...

Award of Garden Merit The Award of Garden Merit (AGM) is a long-established annual award for plants by the British Royal Horticultural Society (RHS). It is based on assessment of the plants' performance under UK growing conditions. History The Award of Garden Merit ...

: *'Castillonii' – yellow canes, *'Holochrysa' – rich yellow canes,

Gallery

File:Phyllostachys bambusoides 'Violascens' - Bambus.JPG, ''P. bambusoides'' 'Violascens' File:Phyllostachys bambusoides holochrysa.jpg, ''P. bambusoides'' 'Holochrysa' File:Poaceae - Phyllostachis bambusoides-001.JPG, Branch of ''P. bambusoides'' File:Phyllostachys bambusoides f castillonis1.jpg, Leaf of P. bambusoides'' f ''castillonis''

References

Bamboo Garden

External links

* * {{Taxonbar, from=Q28933428 bambusoides Flora of China Flora of Japan Flora of Korea