Incense Bamboo - Phyllostachys atrovaginata

[glenn smith]

Really taking off this year, probly ready for ground come February. In the second photo, that little Vivax shoot in the background (from the ID thread) has grown up to 14'.

[Mark Meckes]

Nice! I'm always at the wrong place at the wrong time to shoot pics of these shoots.
Please do take more closeups shoots/sheaths if it's not too late :)

[glenn smith]

I'll be back at work tomorrow, I'll get some more of that newest shoot then. We have a constant western breeze right now which really troubles my macro autofocus! :-(
I'll bring in the small tripod...it might help.

Glenn

[glenn smith]

It looks like this is the last new culm this year...finally got it mostly focused!

Glenn

[Mark Meckes]

Thanks Glenn, nice photo!
Yes, I remember these attractive shoots when I grew this plant up north (Pennsylvania) years ago.
It was called Phyllostachys congesta then.
I thought that was an appropriate name because the almost right-angle extension of the side branches at the nodes made this a 'pokey' plant to get into and dig from or groom.
Also it is quite an unusual bamboo to give off a sandalwood-like aroma when the younger culm internodes are rubbed vigoursly with the fingers.
This warms up the portion rubbed which releases the fragrant volatile oils.
I used to enjoy showing this off to friends visiting my garden.
Smell this bamboo! :)

Mark

[glenn smith]

I'll try that, Mark!
Do you know if harvested culms maintain any of this scent?

Glenn

[Mark Meckes]

Do you know if harvested culms maintain any of this scent?
My recollection from way back was that the younger living culms, perhaps less than 3 years old (?) had the greatest intensity of aroma.
It does require rubbing your fingers up and down on one area of the internode, the friction causing the internode to warm up, to really draw out the aroma.
Older living culms and dried culms lose the intensity of the aroma.
(I will want to affirm this comment.)

Somewhere in one of my bamboo stashes I've got some dried poles from a harvest a few years ago, and if and when I find them I'll try heating one with an electric heat gun or propane torch and see if/how much aroma it gives off.
I can say that Incense Bamboo is nowhere near in comparison to the intensity of true Sandalwood.
I would consider it equal to the fragrance of an opening flower - it's fleeting fragrance is what makes it so precious.

On a side note, I will have an opportunity to visit a large grove of P. atrovaginata later this year or early next year and can harvest some poles.

Another small experimental hobby which I need to write my experiences about one of these days, (and dabble with some more) is bamboo papermaking.
One preparatory method I've tried is to first scrape off the outer skin of the bamboo, as this portion always took the longest to dissolve in the cooking process and removing this helped to reduce cooking time.

I'd be interested, as a side project, is to try making paper from Incense Bamboo, first scraping off the outer skin, then soaking the shavings in a mineral or other natural organic oil to see if it would impart the sandalwood-ish essence in the oil.
Mabye it might make a fragrant candle wick oil, body lotion or bug repellant ... who knows ;)

Mark