Golden, but not "the" Golden, ID needed (Ans. P.n. 'Henon')

[ShmuBamboo]

In comparing some of my other bamboos that are shooting, one type of 'golden' I have is not golden. I thought it was just a sub-type of golden, but it looks now that it is a different species. Several differences from this and golden are that this one grows more like black; the culms are more open and distinct, with fewer leaves, whereas golden is fully leafed in all the way to the ground. The leaves are also smaller than golden, about the size and shape of black, and these types seem to be more stressed than golden (burned leaf tips, again like black leaves here). Finally they have tiny hairs on the sheaths (none on golden proper) and there are auricles at the base of the sheath tips (none on golden). Also the sheath tips are shorter and fatter than golden. The culms are not compressed at the base like golden either (the first thing that caught my eye yesterday looking at them). Nor are the spikes/shoots branching out as as fast as golden. The shoots are 6 ft tall and have yet to start branching out. Golden starts branching by that height.

Some photos attached.
http://www.bamboocraft.net/bamboo/data/529/medium/DSCN0838.jpg (http://www.bamboocraft.net/bamboo/showphoto.php?photo=4271) View large (http://www.bamboocraft.net/bamboo/showphoto.php?photo=4271&size=big&cat=529&ppuser=2448)

http://www.bamboocraft.net/bamboo/data/529/thumbs/DSCN0839.JPG (http://www.bamboocraft.net/bamboo/showphoto.php?photo=4272&cat=529&ppuser=2448) http://www.bamboocraft.net/bamboo/data/529/thumbs/DSCN0841.JPG (http://www.bamboocraft.net/bamboo/showphoto.php?photo=4273&cat=529&ppuser=2448) http://www.bamboocraft.net/bamboo/data/529/thumbs/DSCN0843.JPG (http://www.bamboocraft.net/bamboo/showphoto.php?photo=4274&cat=529&ppuser=2448)

The last photo is of a 'golden' bamboo shoot to compare to. No hairs at the base of the sheath tips, and longer thinner sheath tips.
949

[Mark Meckes]

YEEHAW!
Me thinks ... Phyllostachys nigra 'Henon' (http://www.bamboocraft.net/bamboo/showgallery.php?cat=529) (pics at Bamboo Flora)

Clues ...
- The crinkled sheath blade at the top of the sheath.
- the appearance of the auricles and sheath ligule
- The fuzzy ring at the base of the sheath, a portion which will remain on the node sheath scar for some months in the first year of a culm's life.
- The culm surface will have a very light velvety coating which will wear off.

I do not have this species in my garden (wishful thinking) and am never at the right place and time to take shoot pics, so it's good to see your pics.

Phyllostachys nigra (http://www.bamboocraft.net/bamboo/showgallery.php?cat=527) (gallery pics) shoots are similar.

Henon is considered the 'Mother' of all nigras, albiet nigra was 'named' first, thus the culmfusion of naming Henon a nigra species.

Also I think glenn's unknown "timber bamboo" (http://www.bamboocraft.net/forums/showthread.php?t=2563) is P. n. 'Henon' ... which I'll be replying to shortly ...

Mark

[ShmuBamboo]

Unusual. I thought the growth habit and leaf was just like black. But this guy has green to bright yellow culms, not grey. ??? Does not look like any Henons I have seen online or in the books. Then again, they have been on pots and not in the ground. Supposed to be the tallest bamboo in the PNW. I have a few in 5 gallon pots too.

Amusing also that I thought I had more than one type of black, but the blacks were both standard P. nigra. Now the 'so-called' golden is a black... the woman I got these from in Carmel will be very amused. My brother will also want one of these... trading will be good!

[Mark Meckes]

Yep, a lot of bamboo species culms will turn golden when they have been solarized, especially by the rays of the afternoon sun.
It is very fortunate that you got a shot of the shoots as it would've taken a lot of guesswork before getting a handle on this boo's ID.
Even with shoot pics, juvenile plants can be difficult to ID till they become larger and begin to show mature traits...

Mark

[ShmuBamboo]

Yah, I gess so. This is the first year that these Henons have shooted. 2 years now since I dug them up and brought them here from Carmel. As the owner of the Blue Heron nursery told me about transplanting bamboos, they sleep (for a year) then creep (for a year) and then leap!

[Mark Meckes]

... they sleep (for a year) then creep (for a year) and then leap!

uh huh ... and those runaway vegetable shoot varieties can leap from the end of the spade right into the stir-fry pan. ;)
The 'Missus' cringes everytime she sees me digging up wayward shoots (as if I'm on a cruelty to bamboo vendetta)
... but man oh man does she ever cook up a mean shoot dish! :)

[ShmuBamboo]

Egads! I would never actually cook and eat a propogatable shoot like a henon or vivax! :eek: :eek: :eek:

Specimen bamboo is like currency around these parts. My brother goes to exotic plant shows and muses around until he finds some 'display-only' plant that he likes, and then he barters. They ask for what... he says rare bamboo. They drop whatever they are reading for a moment and ask how large. He says yeah high (5-6 ft). Then they actually get up out of their chairs and ask what types. He rattles off a short list of what he has brought that he knows they usually want. Then they want to see the plants, and a few minutes later there is an exchange. The 'display only' plants leave the showroom floor early for some mysterious reason. Bamboo shows up next to the vendor's chair marked 'not for sale' and the vendors go back to reading their sports magazines. Its all ~Jedi mind trick~ kind of stuff.

But eat bamboo? Maybe the golden shoots here in the huge hedge, but even that I would rather pot up and trade. I may get some Icelandic lamb for some of my bamboo in a trade with a guy up in Washington state. Icelandic lamb is really good eats. Bamboo nurseries want money for their bamboo; I will barter.

[ShmuBamboo]

BTW: Looking in the Book of Bamboo, the nigra/Henon description is dead on with my plants that you have ID'd here. Problem with that book is that there are no photos. I just bought a copy of Bamboo for the Garden on Ebay for $22. They have 11 copies left if anyone is interested (list price is $39).

Only thing that I have found more valuable than bamboo is good books on bamboo. ;)