P.aurea - New leaves with oral setae

[Agrobambu]

Hi all bamboo experts
This new leaves appear in a P.aurea new plant that I'm waiting to move to the ground, with many others I have transplanted 4 months ago.
This one was difficult to transplant at this time because was very weak. Was necessary to give a special care to get new branches. With the new branches come this different leaves with filaments color red-blue.

The question is: It is possible to be another species? Not P.aurea?
Why the others hundred P.aurea I have (see my gallery pics) do not have this caracteristics? Someone can identify it looking this pic?
Ene.

[Mark Meckes]

Hi Ene,
Very interesting observation!
I checked our Phyllostachys aurea, as it is spring here and new leaves and shoots are beginning to appear.
THe new (big) shoots are not tall enough to produce branches and leaves, but there are small shoots up where I had been digging and root pruning last year, and they have leafed out. Their leaf sheaths do have oral setae.
See pic...
http://www.bamboocraft.net/bamboo/data/503/thumbs/1PaureaTx050330-857.jpg
Phyllostachys aurea Leaf sheaths showing oral setae (http://www.bamboocraft.net/bamboo/showphoto.php?photo=974) from new small diameter shoots.

However with 2nd year and older culms, which are now producing new leaf growth, they do not have oral setae at the leaf sheath.
See pic...
http://www.bamboocraft.net/bamboo/data/503/thumbs/1PaureaTX050330-854.jpg
Phyllostachys aurea leaf sheath oral setae lacking (http://www.bamboocraft.net/bamboo/showphoto.php?photo=973) - new leaf growth from 2 yr old culm

The color of your oral setae (filaments) probably has to do with the growing conditions in the pot. If you propagated it from your P.aurea grove, they will very likely be P. aurea.
I'll keep an eye out for our biggest new shoots, to see if their leaf sheaths produce oral setae.

Mark

[Agrobambu]

:cool: Mark!
I'm happy to confirm your information. This pic (with oral setae) was taken from a new plant in a pot (you can see this plant at my post reply "What species is that?" (http://www.bamboocraft.net/forums/showpost.php?p=2754&postcount=10)-the 2th right to left)- This plant have now near 6/8 month and has big leaves at the center (from these leaves I got the enlarged pic, like you saw).
Now is finishing the summer time here, was very dry and hot these last 2 months, and this plant was very damaged. Now it is beginning to grow and developing new branches like the one I showed you.
It's good and safe to have experts nearby. :)
Thanks,
Ene

[Leptomorph]

Interesting observation! Floyd McClure must have observed the same phenomenon because he stated that P. aurea has "leaf sheaths with auricles and oral setae well developed or often lacking entirely."