Bamboo Name |
Max. Height |
Max. Dia. |
Min. Temp. |
Comments / Description |
Bambusa emeiensis |
35' |
2.5" |
24F |
Introduced as Neosinocalamus affinis. |
Bambusa emeiensis cv. Chrysotrichus |
35' |
2.5" |
24F |
Young culms thickly covered with rusty setae and
sparse pruinose. Introduced as Neosinocalamus affinis
cv. Chrysotrichus. |
B.emeiensis cv. Flavidorivens |
35' |
2.5" |
24F |
Light yellow culms with dark green striae. Tight
clumping. Introduced as Neosinocalamus affinis cv.
Flavidorivens. |
B.emeiensis cv. Viridiflavus |
35' |
2.5" |
24F |
Culms erect with yellow stripes on one
side of internodes, alternating 180° on
each internode. Very unusual striping pattern. Introduced as Neosinocalamus affinis cv.
Viridiflavus. |
B.arnhemica |
25' |
4" |
32F |
From N.Territory, Australia, along water courses. Dense
clumps, thick culms, short internodes, low branches. Edible shoots/timber |
B.atra |
25' |
1.5" |
? |
Native to New Guinea, the
Moluccas, and Sangihe Island.
Often found on limestone. Thin-walled, tight clumping, reed-like shrub with large leaves/no low branching. Flowers nearly continuously, without dying. Related to
B.forbesii - may be a Schizostachyum. |
B.balcooa |
60' |
6" |
18F |
From India. Tangled clumps make harvest difficult. Strong,
used for construction. crafts, edible shoots in Australia. |
B.bambos GIANT THORNY |
100' |
7" |
27F |
A fast-growing species. Thick-walled, but soft. Lower
branches are long, wiry, and armed with thorns. Edible shoots. |
B.bashihirsuta |
40' |
3" |
? |
Erect, tight clumper. |
B.beecheyana BEECHEY BAMBOO |
50' |
5" |
15F |
Culms with short internodes generally arch strongly and are
covered with white powder when young. Edible shoots in demand. OLDER GENERATION INFECTED
WITH MOSAIC POTEX VIRUS. |
B.beecheyana Pubescens |
45' |
4" |
15F |
Similar to the standard Beechey but there are
no reports of the Mosaic Potex Virus. |
B.bicicatricata |
30' |
3" |
? |
Thick-walled culms with convex joints. |
B.bicitriatus |
30' |
2" |
? |
Thick culm wall. |
B.blumeana |
60' |
4" |
28F |
A tall, thorny bamboo from India and Indonesia where it is
used for construction, baskets, and edible shoots. |
Bamboo Name |
Max. Height |
Max. Dia. |
Min. Temp. |
Comments / Description |
B.boniopsis |
20' |
1" |
? |
Thick-walled clumper with small leaves. |
B.burmanica |
50' |
4" |
32F |
Dense clumps with thorny low branches. |
B.cerosissima |
20' |
1" |
? |
Seems somewhat similar to B.textilis Gracilis
but slightly smaller and with more powdery bloom on the new culms. Not in
the U.S. as of 2004. |
B.chungii Blue Bamboo |
30' |
2" |
21F |
Thin-walled culms are covered with persistent, dense white
bloom, giving them a pale blue appearance. This rare bamboo is currently
much in demand. |
B.chungii
Barballata |
20' |
1.5" |
21F |
A smaller cultivar of the species. Grows to about 2/3
the size of the standard B.chungii. |
B.cornigera |
35' |
3" |
? |
Culms zigzag, and internodes are slightly curved. |
B.dissemulator |
50' |
3" |
18F |
Has thick-walled, arching or erect, tough-wooded culms,
with very long and slender lower branches. |
B.dissemulator albinodia |
35' |
2" |
20F |
Similar to the above but the white rings above and below
the nodes are more pronounced. |
B.dolichoclada 'Stripe' |
65' |
4" |
20F |
From Taiwan. Erect and tight-clumping. The culms and
branches are yellowish-green and gradually turn pale yellow with persistent darker green
stripes on the internodes. INFECTED WITH MOSAIC POTEX VIRUS. |
B.dolichomerithalla 'Green stripe-stem' |
35' |
2" |
15F |
New light green culms change to yellow-green. Striped with
dark green. Prone to sooty mold in S.Florida. |
Bamboo Name |
Max. Height |
Max. Dia. |
Min. Temp. |
Comments / Description |
B.dolichomerithalla
'Silverstripe' |
35' |
2" |
15F |
Dark green culms with lower internodes occasionally striped
with white. This species is being tested to determine if it could
actually be B.textilis
albo-lineata as per McClure
1940. |
B.edulis |
65' |
3" |
20F |
A Taiwan native with large green leaves. |
B.eutuldoides |
45' |
2" |
15F |
Erect, thick-walled culms with thick and long main
branches. |
B.eutuldoides basistriata |
45' |
2" |
15F |
Similar to the above except culms are variegated. |
B.eutuldoides
viridi-vittata |
40' |
2" |
15F |
Yellow culms with varying dark green
stripes. New shoots have pink and peach tones. Some of the original
stock was imported as Bambusa textilis Vittata. |
B.forbesii IRON RANGE BAMBOO |
16' |
1.2" |
? |
Native to New Guinea and N.Australia. May be a
Schizostachyum rather than a Bambusa. |
B.flexuosa LESSER THORNY BAMBOO |
40' |
2.5" |
15F |
Culms thick-walled with nodding tips and zigzag lower
portions. Lower branchlets specialized into tough thorns. |
B.gibba |
25' |
2" |
24F |
Erect young culms covered with a white bloom. |
B.gibboides |
40' |
3" |
? |
Erect. |
B.intermedia |
40' |
3" |
? |
Young culms dark green, sometimes with purplish streaks. |
B.lako TIMOR BLACK |
70' |
4" |
26F |
Erect new green culms mature to shiny purple/black.
Occasional stripes of green. One of the most striking of the tropical
bamboos. |
B.lapidea HORSEHOOF BAMBOO |
35' |
3.5" |
25F |
Thick-walled culms slightly swollen at the base. |
B.longispiculata |
50' |
4" |
28F |
Somewhat open, erect clump of ivory-striped green culms.
All plants identified as such in Florida have been determined to be B.tulda. |
B.luteostriata |
30' |
2" |
- |
Erect with full foliage on top. Young leaves
variegated white/green. Culms green, intermittent white stripes. |
B.maculata
PRING TUTUL |
50' |
3" |
- |
From Bali; local name pring tutul.
Splotchy culms when mature. Used for furniture making. |
B.malingensis |
35' |
2.5" |
20F |
More salt tolerant than most bamboos. Tight clumps with
fine grained wood. Branches are slender; small leaves. |
B.multiplex HEDGE BAMBOO |
35' |
1.5" |
12F |
Each node bears a large number of branches down to the culm
base. All multiplexes are prone to sooty mold in S. Florida. |
Bamboo Name |
Max. Height |
Max. Dia. |
Min. Temp. |
Comments / Description |
B.multiplex 'Alphonse Karr' |
35' |
1.5" |
12F |
Culms and branches are bright yellow with irregular, longitudinal,
narrow, dark green stripes. New shoots and culms are often reddish. |
B.multiplex 'Green Alphonse' |
35' |
1.5" |
12F |
Similar to Alphonse Karr, but the culms and branches are light
green with dark green stripes. |
B.m'plex 'Alphonse Karr Midori' |
35' |
1.5" |
12F |
Culms green with yellow stripes |
B.multiplex 'Fernleaf' |
20' |
.5" |
12F |
Usually small in size with 10 to 20 closely spaced, two ranked
leaves. Unstable; often reverts to the larger leaves. |
B.multiplex 'Golden Goddess' |
12' |
.75" |
12F |
A dwarf form similar to Fernleaf but with larger leaves. The culms
tend to be yellowish. |
B.multiplex
'Goldstripe' |
35' |
1.5" |
12F |
Mature green culms have a gold stripe that bleeds into the green. |
B.multiplex riviereorum CHINESE GODDESS BAMBOO |
6' |
.25" |
2 |
Solid culms and tiny leaves; similar to Fernleaf but smaller, more
delicate looking. This form appears stable. |
B.multiplex
'Silverstripe' |
45' |
1.5" |
12F |
Many leaves have white stripes and some culms are also striped with
white. Largest of the B.multiplex group. |
B.multiplex 'Stripestem Fernleaf' |
12' |
.5" |
12F |
Similar to Fernleaf except that the culms are reddish or yellowish,
striped with green. |
B.multiplex 'Tiny Fern' |
3' |
1/8" |
12F |
A dwarf form of riviereorum with leaves often less than
1" long. |
B.multiplex 'Tiny Fern striped' |
3' |
1/8" |
12F |
Same as Tiny Fern, but with striped culms. |
B.multiplex 'Willowy' |
20' |
3/4" |
12F |
Culms droop or arch strongly with small, narrow leaves. |
B.mutabilis |
23' |
2" |
22F |
A moderate sized tropical native to Hainan Island, China. Young
culms covered with a thin layer of white powder.
The species that is widely distributed in Florida as B.mutabilis is
actually a beautiful B. textilis variety that will grow to 40' tall. The
true B.mutabilis is not in the U.S. as of 2004. |
Bamboo Name |
Max. Height |
Max. Dia. |
Min. Temp. |
Comments / Description |
B.nutans |
40' |
3" |
25F |
The culms have a white ring below the nodes. |
B.oldhamii
GIANT TIMBER 'OLDHAM'S BAMBOO' |
55' |
4" |
22F |
The culms are straight and erect with relatively short
branches forming fairly open clumps. Culm walls are thick, but soft. |
B.oldhamii f. revoluta |
55' |
4" |
22F |
Yellow stripes on the culms on an
otherwise standard oldhamii. |
B.oliveriana |
45' |
2" |
32F |
Densely clumping with thick-walled, glossy green culms. |
B.pachinensis |
33' |
2.5" |
20F |
Medium size with yellowish culms. It resembles B.textilis. |
B.pervariabilis |
45' |
2.5" |
20F |
Erect, thick-walled culms with yellow stripes in the lower
internodes. |
B.pervariabilis viridistriata |
45' |
2.5" |
20F |
Similar to the above but much more highly variegated. An
extremely attractive tropical bamboo. New
shoots are yellow with green stripes maturing to yellow/gold with varying dark
green stripes. |
B.sp.
'polymorpha' |
65' |
6" |
? |
Green culms densely covered with grayish-white silky hair; branches
short, slender, dense. ID uncertain. |
B.remotiflora |
40' |
3" |
? |
New shoots are purple. |
B.rigida |
40' |
2.5" |
? |
Erect, tight clumper. New culms are covered with white waxy powder. |
B.rutila |
35' |
2.5 |
? |
Thick-walled zigzag culms with swollen nodes and drooping tips.
Thorny. |
B.sinospinosa CHINESE THORNY |
70' |
5" |
20F |
A thorny bamboo with rather small leaves and interlaced low
thorny branches. An impenetrable security hedge. |
B.stenostachya |
70' |
6" |
36F |
Basal internodes almost solid. Thorny. Culm sheaths persistent.
Useful in construction. |
B.subtruncata |
16' |
2" |
? |
Yellowish green longitudinal streaks on lower
internodes. Similar pattern to G.maxima. |
B.textilis WEAVER'S BAMBOO |
40' |
2" |
13F |
Tight clumps. An extremely handsome plant that arches gracefully.
The thin-walled culms are used for weaving. All of the textilis varieties
make excellent hedges/screens when planted in rows. There are many
seedling varieties of textilis. See below for some examples. |
B.textilis
albo-striata
or B.albo-lineata |
30' |
2" |
15F |
Same as above except culms are
white-striped in irregular longitudinal |
B.textilis glabra |
25' |
1½" |
15F |
A slightly more open clumper than the type.
Random bluish-white bloom. Overall size about the same as Gracilis. Culms
glabrous (smooth). |
B.textilis gracilis |
23' |
1¼" |
15F |
Culms more slender than the typical B.textilis; nodding
top. Graceful foliage. Makes an excellent hedge or screen. |
B.textilis cv. Maculata |
25' |
1" |
15F |
Tight clumper, about 2" between culms. Very
erect culms. Base of shoot sheaths have purple streaks. |
Bamboo Name |
Max. Height |
Max. Dia. |
Min. Temp. |
Comments / Description |
B.textilis
Scranton |
40' |
2" |
15F |
Distinct appearance. This
textilis variety has very short branches giving it a unique feature on an
otherwise standard form. Originated from S. Scranton's cultivar. |
B.textilis
Kanapaha
Royal Bamboo, Wong Chuk |
50' |
2 ½" |
15F |
This is the variety of Bambusa
textilis growing at Kanapaha Botanical Gardens in Gainesville, FL.
Straight canes with long internodes have a whitish bloom. Very rare and
highly sought-after. The largest textilis. |
B.textilis
"Vittata" |
25' |
1½" |
13F |
Originally misidentified. This non-species
has been re-identified as Bambusa eutuldoides viridi-vittata. |
B.tulda |
70' |
4" |
27F |
The large, straight, thick-walled culms are one of the most useful
of any tropical bamboo grown in the U.S. |
B.tulda striata |
70' |
4" |
27F |
Same as above but with striped culms. |
B.tuldoides PUNTING POLE BAMBOO |
55' |
2¼" |
15F |
Similar to B.tulda but not as large and more hardy. It
produces a large number of thick-walled culms growing in a tight clump. |
B.tuldoides
Clone X |
65' |
2.5" |
15F
| Vigorous large clumper with dark green culms. Extremely
thick-walled culms with a slight zigzag and whitish bloom. |
B.tudoides
'Ventricosa' BUDDHA'S BELLY |
20' |
2¼" |
15F |
The same species as B.tuldoides, however it becomes a dwarf w/swollen internodes when grown in pots
under dry conditions. |
B.tuldoides
'Kimmei' |
45' |
2" |
15F |
Similar to B.tuldoides, but with yellow culms striped w/green. |
B.variegata |
10' |
0.6" |
? |
Grown in gardens in Malaysia; origin and taxonomy unclear. Culms
green, arch slightly. Leaves green with white stripes. Has been sold as Arundinaria
suberecta. |
B.variostriata |
35' |
3" |
? |
New shoots covered with bloom. Culms have white stripes. Useful and
edible. |
B.vulgaris
COMMON BAMBOO |
60' |
5" |
27F |
Common throughout the tropical world. Open clump, culms
spaced a foot or two apart. Culms root easily. |
B.vulgaris maculata |
50' |
4" |
27F |
B.maculata above (same species). |
B.vulgaris 'Tricolor |
50' |
4" |
27F |
Some culms golden yellow and some light green, with
dark green stripes. |
B.vulgaris 'Vittata' PAINTED BAMBOO |
50' |
4" |
27F |
Similar to above, golden yellow culm with green
vertical stripes that look like drip marks. |
B.vulgaris 'Vittata Medium" |
25' |
2" |
27F |
Similar to above but reported to reach half the normal
height. |
B.vulgaris 'Wamin' |
16' |
3" |
27F
| Dwarf with short and swollen lower internodes. |
B.vulgaris 'Wamin
striata' |
16' |
3" |
27F |
Similar to above. Green culms striped w/dark green. |
  |