Phyllostachys nigra 'Henon' - Georgia USA (ID confirmed)

[Karen]

My husband and I purchased our home about 2.5 years ago. It sits on 3.5 acres of land in northeastern Georgia. The property included a bamboo grove. I am trying to ID the bamboo because I would like to clear out some of the trees and such to give it more growing area. Problem is that it is doing so well now that I am afraid that what ever I do may harm it. Knowing what kind of Bamboo it is will help me to provide for it a better growing area as well as let me know other things about it. It seems that whoever planted the stuff just sort of tossed it out there among other trees and shrubery, including a grape arbor. We would like to remove it all except for the bamboo. We would also like other information on it so that we can know what other uses it can be of instead of just looking nice.

It is growing beside an area that is extreemly wet with natural springs, so it is getting plenty of water year round. The new shoots have a purple covering that turns light tannish and drops off after about two or so weeks. It seems to gain about 5 to 6 inches of hight each day. After the shoots loose their protective sheets there is a waxy substance on the canes. I have a picture showing this that I will include. There seem to be two leaf branches off of the nodes. (see picture). The leaves are about 4 to 5 inches long and 1/2 to 3/4 inches wide.(see picture) The larger canes are 3 to 4 inches in diameter. The smaller ones are very narrow, about 1/2 inch in diameter. No hair at any stage. I am not sure of its final height but I would guess it at about 50 feet or so. It seems to be spreading by runners as apposed to clumping because there are quite a few new shoots anywhere from 5 to 10 or 15 feet away from the main group.

Karen

[Mark Meckes]

Hi Karen, Thanks for writing in!
Your bamboo will most likely be a Phyllostachys species, but as there are more then 90 species varieties and cultivars of this one Genus of bamboo, photos are necessary to clearly identify your bamboo species.
We are just starting to develop a Gallery, Bamboo Flora (http://www.bamboocraft.net/bamboo/) and the best of pics uploaded into the forums will also be placed there into members galleries.
Check it out to give you some ideas of the types of pics we need to identify your bamboo. We like scenic pics and detail shots.
See... Uploading Image attachments into Forum Posts ( http://www.bamboocraft.net/forums/showthread.php?t=1298)

Mark

[Karen]

Thank you, Mark, for the help with the pictures. I am going to give it another try! As you can see, its a mess where they are growing, with all the trees and such. Several of them are damaged from a freezing rain storm that we had last winter. We are planning to remove them, I assume that would be ok. I know so little about bamboo so I hesitate doing anything until I know what I am dealing with.

http://www.bamboocraft.net/bamboo/data/529/thumbs/DSC00079_Small.jpg See photo (http://www.bamboocraft.net/bamboo/showphoto.php?photo=2264) http://www.bamboocraft.net/bamboo/data/529/thumbs/DSC00080_Small.jpg See photo (http://www.bamboocraft.net/bamboo/showphoto.php?photo=2263) http://www.bamboocraft.net/bamboo/data/529/thumbs/DSC00081_Small.jpg See photo (http://www.bamboocraft.net/bamboo/showphoto.php?photo=2262)

Thank you for your help,
Karen

[Karen]

YEPPIE! they did make it. I have a few more that I will post here.

In a few of the pictures some of the bamboo looks brown or tan. I think it's just the way the light was hitting them because they are all green.

Karen

http://www.bamboocraft.net/bamboo/data/529/thumbs/DSC00086_Small.jpg See photo (http://www.bamboocraft.net/bamboo/showphoto.php?photo=2261) http://www.bamboocraft.net/bamboo/data/529/thumbs/DSC00091_Small.jpg See photo (http://www.bamboocraft.net/bamboo/showphoto.php?photo=2260) http://www.bamboocraft.net/bamboo/data/529/thumbs/DSC00089_Small.jpg See photo (http://www.bamboocraft.net/bamboo/showphoto.php?photo=2259)

http://www.bamboocraft.net/bamboo/data/529/thumbs/DSC00087_Small.jpg See photo (http://www.bamboocraft.net/bamboo/showphoto.php?photo=2258)

[Mark Meckes]

Hi Karen,
Nice pics!
Your first picture of the emerging new shoot was the most important one for ID purposes... unfortunately, blurry.
Do you have any other pics of new shoots rising?
The shooting season is probably all over for you by now, isn't it?
Can you remember when they began to emerge?
Phyllostachys species can be defined as early, mid and late shooters.
Can you measure the diameter (width) of your largest culms?
That is another indicator for species.

BTW Not sure, but is the ground cover, if it has 3 leaves, poison ivy?
Just checking, as it is commonly found in this part of the country.

Mark

[Karen]

Hi Mark,

I have included a picture of what my husband referrs to as "the mother of all poison ivy" Our place is covered with the stuff in certin areas. Luckely I am not allergic to it, my husband is mildly allergic, so its not too big of a problem, although we would like to get rid of it. Any ideas on how to get rid of it around the bamboo that will not harm the bamboo? I assume that round-up would not be a good idea.

Sorry for the focus problem. We just got this camera, our very first digital, and we are still getting use to it.

We first noticed the new shoots about a month ago, but then we were not really looking for them earlier than that. The ones that are now emerging are not growing as quickly as the ones did that we found a month ago. The smallest of the shoots pictured was that same size about two days ago, it doesn't apear to have gained any height. The others are gaining height but a lot slower than the ones which emerged a month ago.

Thanks again for your help,
Karen

http://www.bamboocraft.net/bamboo/data/529/thumbs/DSC00092_Small.jpg See photo (http://www.bamboocraft.net/bamboo/showphoto.php?photo=2257) http://www.bamboocraft.net/bamboo/data/529/thumbs/DSC00095_Small.jpg See photo (http://www.bamboocraft.net/bamboo/showphoto.php?photo=2256) http://www.bamboocraft.net/bamboo/data/529/thumbs/DSC00097_Small.jpg See photo (http://www.bamboocraft.net/bamboo/showphoto.php?photo=2255)

http://www.bamboocraft.net/bamboo/data/529/thumbs/DSC00096_Small.jpg See photo (http://www.bamboocraft.net/bamboo/showphoto.php?photo=2254)

[Karen]

oops, I forgot:

The largest is about 3.5 to 4 inches in diameter. The ones coming up this year are the largest of all of them. Does this mean that the grove is possibly young? We have had some wacky weather this year, a bit cooler than usual. Maybe this is a factor?

Karen

[Mark Meckes]

Phyllostachys nigra `Henon' - that's what you have!
I will write down some notes about this species, and will post later tonight.

Mark :)

[Karen]

:) Thank You Mark! :)
Now the research work begins closely followed by the clean-up work and a much happier bamboo grove!

BTW: any volunteers to help with clean up???? hmmm, I didn't think so.

Thanks again Mark for all your help, I'm looking forward to getting the notes you mentioned.

Karen

[tharlow]

There are a good number of people from Georgia in the Chapter.
Southeast Cahpter/ American Bamboo Society (http://www.sec-bamboo.org/index.htm) home page
You might find folks from there or the Carolinas interested in helping in exchange for poles or starts.

With the way the State angles up, I'm having trouble knowing what constitutes N.E. GA. I tend to think of the Northern part as more Western than Eastern, and Eastern as more Southern than Northern. Like Augusta is pretty Eastern and sort of North when compared to other cities on the East, but it's South (and East) of places like Gainesville.

I wish Missouri weren't so far from any of those places (my Georgia roots and my Georgia Bulldawgs). I'd love to attend a work day cleaning up a mature grove.

--Tom

[Mark Meckes]

Hi Karen, and thanks for showing these pics!
We don't have enough pics in the Phyllostachys nigra 'Henon' (http://www.bamboocraft.net/bamboo/showgallery.php?cat=529) category at the Gallery BambooFlora.
Your `best of' pics will be moved into your own gallery there, and will also show in the Phyllostachys nigra 'Henon' Category and here in this thread.
You can add more pics to this thread as you get different angles and features of your bamboo. As soon as I get caught with up things (haha), I am going to write in some tips on types of pics and methods to obtain the best shots.
These photos will be very helpful to others who need to ID their bamboo.

You have a good bamboo species for craft use, and you can be assured we will be photographing and analyzing and experimenting with the materials extensively.

There are several keys that indicated this as being Phyllostachys nigra 'Henon'
(also called henonis in some parts of the world)
- It's large diameter culms.
There is one other species, Phyllostachys edulis (http://www.bamboocraft.net/bamboo/showgallery.php?cat=528) (syn, P. pubescens) that gets as large.
P. n. Henon gets longer internodes and has other distinguishing features.

- The light greyish color of the culms as they age.

- It's shoots have similar characteristics to Phyllostachys nigra (http://www.bamboocraft.net/bamboo/showgallery.php?cat=527) though much bigger.

The story goes that early on in taxonomical times Phyllostachys nigra was named as a distinct species. Then it was determined that P.n. 'Henon' was the 'mother' or P. nigra, but because P.nigra was named first, taxonomy rules dictated that the mother be species - nigra as well.
There is another not quite as large species called P. n. `Bory' which has random black blotches that develop on the surface of the culm.

Some other notes...
I was in Georgia a couple weeks after that major ice storm, and saw the damage it caused to trees, shrubs and bamboo. Interesting that the large bamboo I observed growing in a mixed forest tree environment were less bent and broken than groves growing out in the open. The trees had ice damage as well but they kept many of the tall bamboo culms propped up, only breaking some of the tops of the bamboo, except on the outer periphery, where the bamboo was more bent and broken.

Re: poison ivy, I don't like jumping to a conclusion, as all three-lobed plants aren't poison ivy, but I did see it flourishing in Georgia, and also have/had a nice patch of it here in our grove in Texas!
We've diminished it's presence by severing large vines and spraying generic poison ivy killer on it's leaf surface... used as a contact herbicide sparingly on the leaves, it has not caused any harm to our bamboo.

...which reminds me... time to check on it's status again.

Mark

[Karen]

Hi Tom,

Thank you for your response. I have found ABS and I am in the process of joining. (downloaded the application, filled it out, printed it out, and there it is--sitting on my desk waiting for me to MAIL the thing. – I’m awful with paper work)

I just moved out here from Oregon about 3 years ago, I am in the northern part of Georgia, but not in the mountains, and closer to SC as apposed to Alabama. We are just a bit north east of Athens.

Well, If you are ever in the area to visit the dawgs drop me a line and we’ll schedule in a work day! What part of Georgia are you from? (Maybe we should move this to E-mail, mine is listed in my profile)

Thanks again,
Karen

[Karen]

Hi Mark,

My own gallery? I’m moving up town now! Thanks!

I read a joke once about how to assemble a new “toy”. First thing was “find user’s manual” Second was “throw away user’s manual” it went on from there and was very funny.

First tip on how to take good pics: DON’T throw away the user’s manual for your camera, READ IT! Hmmm, now where did I put mine? As soon as I find the thing and read it I’ll be posting more pics. Or when ever you make your tips list. Which ever comes first!! Hopefully this isn’t the end of Karen’s Great Gallery.

Having those trees among the bamboo did support many of the canes and so they were not all damaged. We only lost ones that were away from the trees and then not all of those. This is a reason why I have been thinking to maybe leave the trees. We need to, for sure, remove the Poison Ivy as well as that old grape arbor and some underbrush and dead stuff. Maybe just starting there and leaving it for a year or two might be the answer. After a year or two then decide on the trees and maybe just remove a few but not all.

What we have is most defiantly Poison Ivy. Although I am not allergic to it my ex-husband was severely allergic to it. I learned real quick how to ID that, as well as Poison Oak and Sumac.

I think that using a commercial poison ivy killer on the “mother” plant will be the only way to deal with that. I know the stuff is systemic, but I am not sure if this one plant isn’t too big for that to be totally affective. Its base trunk is about 6 inches in diameter. It reaches up about 25 feet. Maybe I should be calling the Genus book of World Records??

I am toying with maybe just pulling the rest up by hand (the ones still at ground level) as to minimize the amount of chemical poisons in the area. The only problem with that are the roots. Pulling by hand will get the roots too but it might take a few years to get them all.

Thank you for all the information. I am going to hit the Internet with its name and start reading!

Karen

[Karen]

Mark,

I just wanted to let you know that I agree totally with your ID! After reading up on it, on the net, and seeing other pictures! WOW, it all looks exactly like ours! Even the new shoots in the net pictures! Thank You!!!

BTW, there was some mention about sun hitting the canes causing the leaves to turn yellowish or get yellow spots. I think that this is more reason to keep the trees in place!

Thanks!
Karen

[Mark Meckes]

Hi Karen,
> I think that this is more reason to keep the trees in place!

It's a balancing act. Selective thinning aids both the bamboo and trees, providing optimum health through a balanced sharing of available resources. Monocultural settings can cause pronounced problems.
A bamboo individual culm is not as long lived, and so there is a greater `rotation' of culms then trees in a mixed environment.
Bamboo is quick to reproduce and reaches high heights before trees do, but trees (in our climate) may ultimately tower over the bamboo.
I am somewhat atracted to (visiting) groves and forests left to the whims of nature, though they can be a fire hazard in populated areas.

One thing that can be done during and after shooting season, is to cut down smaller culms growing near larger culms if it appears that they won't be able access sufficient light. The material can be easily cut up and left in place and will soon break down into mulch.
----------------

As a craft and construction material, Phyllostachys nigra 'Henon' poles can have a tendency to crack/split on drying, though there are ways to prevent this.
Among many other uses, it does make excellent split material.
Henon has an exquisite tan color when dried.

If you/I lived nearby I would be happy to stop by and do a bit of grove grooming in exchange for a few poles, (sorry, no can do), as I am only mildly affected by Poison Ivy (um, I don't want to have to eat my words though, as one can become more sensitive to it with age).
Poison Ivy precautions, especially during group grove groomings, are the norm for much of the US. Even our local botanical garden has it!
Poison Ivy likes to grow in a bamboo grove as much as any other garden bed. ...especially if there are birds in the vicinity that also feast on the Poison Ivy seeds and disperse them far and wide.

Here is a thread to provide info and discuss issues related to Poison Ivy and Bamboo ...
Bamboo and Poison Ivy (http://www.bamboocraft.net/forums/showthread.php?t=1305)
----------------
Also in the Working with Bamboo Forum, a thread about ...
Bamboo lacquerware and urishol based lacquers (http://www.bamboocraft.net/forums/showthread.php?t=1304)

Re: your ice storm damage... here's a couple pics from probably the same storm that you experienced, though in Central Georgia...
http://www.bamboocraft.net/bamboo/data/527/thumbs/PnigraGaMH050222-488.jpg Phyllostachys nigra See photo (http://www.bamboocraft.net/bamboo/showphoto.php?photo=1082) http://www.bamboocraft.net/bamboo/data/539/thumbs/1Pvivax2-MGA050222-521.jpg Phyllostachys vivax See photo (http://www.bamboocraft.net/bamboo/showphoto.php?photo=933)

~ Mark