''Pseudosasa japonica'', the arrow bamboo or ''metake'', is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

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 th ...

in the grass

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Poaceae, native to Japan and Korea. This vigorous bamboo forms thickets up to tall with shiny leaves up to long. The culms are typically yellow-brown and it has palm-like leaves. The common name "arrow bamboo" results from the Japanese

Samurai were the hereditary military nobility and officer caste of medieval and early-modern Japan from the late 12th century until their abolition in 1876. They were the well-paid retainers of the '' daimyo'' (the great feudal landholders). They h ...

using its hard and stiff canes for their arrows. It grows up to a day.

Cultivation

This cold hardy bamboo species (tolerant to 0 °F/−17.7 °C) grows well both in shade and full sun. ''Pseudosasa japonica'' does very well in containers and salty air near the ocean. Because it tends to be more shade tolerant than other bamboo species it is often used by gardeners as an understory to a tree-lined living fence. In cultivation in the UK this species has gained 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 (Nort ...

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 ...

Subspecies

*''Pseudosasa japonica'' var. ''japonica'' *''Pseudosasa japonica'' var. ''tsutsumiana''

Cultivation

Subspecies

References

Further reading