Bambusa textilis
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Clade: Commelinids
Order: Poales
Family: Poaceae
Genus: Bambusa
Species:
B. textilis
Binomial name
Bambusa textilis
Synonyms

Bambusa varioaurita W.T.Lin & Z.J.Feng
Bambusa textilis var. purpurascens
Bambusa textilis f. purpurascens
Bambusa textilis var. pubescens
Bambusa textilis var. maculata
Bambusa textilis var. gracilis
Bambusa textilis var. glabra
Bambusa minutiligulata W.T.Lin & Z.M.Wu
Bambusa glaucescens var. annulata
Bambusa annulata W.T.Lin & Z.J.Feng

Bambusa textilis, also known as slender bamboo, clumping bamboo and weaver's bamboo, is a species of bamboo in the Poaceae (grasses) family that is native to China. The subspecies var. gracilis is heavily cultivated in Australia.[1]

Description

Canopy of slender bamboo in Maui, Hawaii.

Slender bamboo is a giant, densely leaved, upright bamboo, that grows in a tight clump up to 6 to 10 meters high and 2 meters in width at a fast rate and has a stem size of 3cm.[2]

Having elegant leaves that are lanceolate shaped, 9-25 x 1-2.5 cm long, and greenish blue-hued culm that is glossy and leathery, its long green internodes, 35-60 cm, change to yellow during prolonged sunlight exposure. Despite being an evergreen, some leaf loss can be expected in winter, but this depends on the location and microclimate.[3]

The stalk and the rhizome are one, making it a non-invasive plant. The top part of the short rhizome has buds, one of which grows into another very truncated rhizome that then turns upward to surface from the ground as a subsidiary culm close to the parent.[4]

Distribution

In its native southern China, it usually found near rivers, on hills and villages at low altitudes in the Anhui, Guangdong, Fujian and Guangxi provinces.[5] It has been naturalized in Hawaii, Florida, Colombia and Puerto Rico.[6]

Cultivation

It is cultivated in particular to constitute hedges or privacy screens in suburban yards and can be planted in subtropical/tropical gardens where it can complement the native rainforest flora, and as well as in garden beds near a fence. It can also provide both noise and wind break, in addition to tolerating winds and temperatures as low as -10°C. Growing best in full sun to part shade, it may benefit from some mulch and nitrogen fertiliser.[7]

The variety var. gracilis is one of the most popular bamboos, especially in Australia, which is known as Gracilis bamboo, that forms a sightly slender clump and grows no more than 8 metres high. It reaches maturity within 3-5 years, depending on the weather and soil.[8] A gracilis in a 200mm container would usually grow to around 3 to 4 meters in 12 months. The glabra variety features more white on the lower areas of the internodes, giving the plant a striped appearance, and the fusca variety is larger, growing up to 12 meters and would top a 3 storey building.[9]

Varieties

  • B. textilis var. fusca
  • B. textilis var. glabra
  • B. textilis var. gracilis
  • B. textilis var. maculata
  • B. textilis var. textilis

References

  1. ↑ Bambusa textilis var. gracilis Common Names: Gracilis, Slender Weavers Living Bamboo Production Nursery
  2. ↑ Rao, A.N., G. Dhanarajan, C.B. Sastry. 1985. Recent Research on Bamboos. Proceedings of the International Bamboo Workshop. October 6-14, 1985 1985, Hangzhou, People’s Republic of China. The Chinese Academy of Forestry, People’s Republic of China. International Development Research Centre, Canada
  3. ↑ Rao, A.N. and V. Ramanatha Rao, editors. 1998. Priority Species of Bamboo and Rattan. IPGRI-APO, Serdang, Malaysia.
  4. ↑ Bambusa textilis - McClure Plants for a Future
  5. ↑ Bambusa textilis McClure, Lingnan Univ. Sci. Bull. 9: 14. 1940. Flora of China
  6. ↑ Bambusa textilis Pacific Island Ecosystems at Risk (PIER)
  7. ↑ Bambusa textilis Gracilis Slender Weavers Bamboo Alpine Nurseries
  8. ↑ The best of clumping bamboo Better Homes and Gardens
  9. ↑ FUSCA THREE STOREY SCREENING BAMBOO Bamboo Down Under

Sources

Wikispecies has information related to Bambusa textilis.
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