Bamboo with thorns ON internodes!

[Mark Meckes]

There are a number of bamboo species which have root primordia growing from the culm or branch node region and then harden into thorn like projections, as in this example:

Chimonobambusa quadrangularis
http://www.bamboocraft.net/bamboo/data/728/medium/CquadJBNTX070604-8615.jpg (http://www.bamboocraft.net/bamboo/showphoto.php?photo=4537)

But I was surprised, after first feeling them, then taking this pic, that this internode surface actually has thorns:

Chimonobambusa quadrangularis 'Suow'
http://www.bamboocraft.net/bamboo/data/786/medium/CquadSuowJBNTX070604-8644.jpg (http://www.bamboocraft.net/bamboo/showphoto.php?photo=4566) View large (http://www.bamboocraft.net/bamboo/showphoto.php?photo=4566&size=big) for better close up of thorns.

I'm not familiar with any other bamboo that have thorns on their internodes.
... but then there are still many more bamboos that I have yet to form a close and personal, perhaps pokey acquaintence with. :)

Mark

[ghmerrill]

Interesting that both are Chimonobambusa quadrangularis. Usualy in plants you do not see such a structural difference. I can see the Regular quad having "thorns" due to root primordia, however, since thorns are modified plant parts- ie. leaves in cacti, not sure in roses, berries, I wonder where the culm thorns come from. Cool. A bamboo my kids would learn to leave alone!

Gene

[Mark Meckes]

Unlike the root primordia at the nodes which are definitely "pokey", the thorns on the internodes of Chimonobambusa quadrangularis are fairly soft, as far as thorns go, soon or easily breaking off and leaving a small protruding nub.

I've read that root primordia at the nodes, found more commonly on tropical bamboo species, are an indication that the bamboo can root readily from culm cuttings, though many tropical species that don't clearly have extended roots growing from the nodes can be propagated from culm cuttings.
This has me pondering whether Chimonobambusa quadrangularis can be rooted by culm cuttings(?)
It is in an odd class of temperate bamboo species which sends up it's main flush of shoots in the autumn as opposed to the spring, like most other temperate bamboos.

Of interest, we had a very wet early summer, with consistently high humidity and for the first time we had roots growing from a few above ground nodes on some of our newly shooting Bambusa oldhamii and Bambusa tuldoides 'Ventricosa'.
Just as the roots began to grow like crazy, the extended rainy period ended, becoming hot and dry, and node root growth ceased.

Mark

[ghmerrill]

Interesting! I love the aireal root look of tropicals like the Philodendrons, so it would be cool to see a bamboo with something similar, however, I would bet it looks more like the prop roots that you see on corn, unless I am mistaken- I have never seen that in a bamboo like you are describing, but, alas, being zone 7, we can barely get away with Chimonobambusa, and Babmusa multiplex. No luck on any of the others, it just gets too darn cold.