Is this Himalayacalamus hookerianus Teague's Blue bamboo?

[bayarea17]

Hi,
I saw this boo at a local nursery. Its tag said that it's Himalayacalamus Hookerianus Teague's blue bamboo. I've looked at pictures on this site for blue bamboo and they don't really look like this.

http://www.bamboocraft.net/bamboo/data/803/thumbs/DSCN4516.JPG (http://www.bamboocraft.net/bamboo/showphoto.php?photo=5008) http://www.bamboocraft.net/bamboo/data/803/thumbs/DSCN4517.JPG (http://www.bamboocraft.net/bamboo/showphoto.php?photo=5007) http://www.bamboocraft.net/bamboo/data/803/thumbs/DSCN4518.JPG (http://www.bamboocraft.net/bamboo/showphoto.php?photo=5006) http://www.bamboocraft.net/bamboo/data/803/thumbs/DSCN4519.JPG (http://www.bamboocraft.net/bamboo/showphoto.php?photo=5005)

The culms are purplish, tightly clumped and the leaves are dark green.

I'm hoping the experts here can confirm its identity.

Thanks!

[Mark Meckes]

Hi bayarea17,
Culmgrats on being the first to upload boo pics of this plant.
The pics have been cross-linked to Himalayacalamus hookerianus (http://www.bamboocraft.net/bamboo/showgallery.php?cat=803) (our gallery Bamboo Flora).

If you can take more pics that would be much appreciated.
... especially of new shoot sheaths, leaves in more focus, branching at the nodes, the plant etc etc.

Unfortunately it's apparently too hot here in Texas to grow this mountain bamboo so I'll learn from a distance about this boo.

This bamboo flowered (I think) pre 2000 and a number of new seedling variations were introduced into the market.
I've read that as these variations have grown in size that they have shown very little variation from the species form ... we'll see ...

Here's a link with some descriptive features about ...
Himalayacalamus hookerianus
www.bamboogiant.com/html/Blue.html

I have various publications with descriptions about this bamboo which I'll write about soon, unless someone else beats me to it. ;)

Cheers,
Mark

[bayarea17]

Hi Mark,

Thanks for the reply and info. So it is tagged correctly? Is Teague's Blue the same as Blue Bamboo? I guess the pictures I've seen of Blue bamboo doesn't look like this so I'm a bit confused.

But it looks really nice so I've been tempted to purchase it. I've a shady spot that I hope it'll like and thrive in.

I will try to take better pictures and post them. I am a newbie and focusing is one of my big problems when taking pictures of bamboos, it seems ;)

[Mark Meckes]

From what I can tell, it appears that 'Blue Bamboo' and 'Teague's Blue' could be the same plant, though 'Teagues Blue' might have been a seedling selection.
I see that some nurseries are calling this plant by both names.
Also the 2007 American Bamboo Society Source List hasn't "officially" designated Teague's Blue as a distinct cultivar, so at this time both names could be considered as the Common Name for the species.
As there are other bamboos that ocassionally get called "Blue Bamboo" because of the bluish powdery coating on their culms, this bamboo is also referred to as 'Himalayan Blue Bamboo'.
To add to the confusion, this bamboo had till only recently been called ...
Drepanostachyum falcatum ... Then when it flowered it was determined to be an incorrect name.

This plant is probably correctly ID'd as Himalayacalamus hookerianus
... but more pics would help
(yep, I agree, taking closeups of boo is hard - my solution is to take lots and pic out the best)

Another problem is that smaller plants don't usually stand out prominently with ID features till they are larger.

As in this pic of Himalayacalamus hookerianus
http://www.bamboogarden.com/Himalayacalamus%20hookerianus.htm

... the blue hue shown may be fairly short lived on new culms, and may require taking the pic at the right place and right time with "enhanced" mode turned on. ;)

If this boo could grow in my climate I would have it :(

Mark

[bayarea17]

Hello Mark,

Thanks for your reply and the info...very helpful but it sure is confusing :)

I also thought that maybe the smaller/younger plant may not show the ID features. Maybe it'll look more that those pictures once the plant matures.

Anyway, here are more pictures ...

Himalayacalamus hookerianus 'Teague's Blue'
http://www.bamboocraft.net/bamboo/data/803/thumbs/leaves1.JPG (http://www.bamboocraft.net/bamboo/showphoto.php?photo=5024) http://www.bamboocraft.net/bamboo/data/803/thumbs/leaves2.JPG (http://www.bamboocraft.net/bamboo/showphoto.php?photo=5023) http://www.bamboocraft.net/bamboo/data/803/thumbs/new_shoot.JPG (http://www.bamboocraft.net/bamboo/showphoto.php?photo=5022) http://www.bamboocraft.net/bamboo/data/803/thumbs/node1.JPG (http://www.bamboocraft.net/bamboo/showphoto.php?photo=5021) http://www.bamboocraft.net/bamboo/data/803/thumbs/node2.JPG (http://www.bamboocraft.net/bamboo/showphoto.php?photo=5020)

http://www.bamboocraft.net/bamboo/data/803/thumbs/node3.JPG (http://www.bamboocraft.net/bamboo/showphoto.php?photo=5019) http://www.bamboocraft.net/bamboo/data/803/thumbs/DSCN4560.JPG (http://www.bamboocraft.net/bamboo/showphoto.php?photo=5018) http://www.bamboocraft.net/bamboo/data/803/thumbs/DSCN4561.JPG (http://www.bamboocraft.net/bamboo/showphoto.php?photo=5017) http://www.bamboocraft.net/bamboo/data/803/thumbs/DSCN4545.JPG (http://www.bamboocraft.net/bamboo/showphoto.php?photo=5016)

[Mark Meckes]

These are really great pics! Thanks for taking the time to take these and show them.

This illustrates why, in order to be able to ID bamboo, it is important to have lots of pics of bamboo in it's many stages of growth.
Please do keep us updated with more pics of the various parts and components, growth stages as you observe them.

It is interesting how the smaller culms seem to have a more knuckled or pronounced nodes than larger culms.

Cheers,
Mark

[Mark Meckes]

A sub category of Himalayacalamus hookerianus (http://www.bamboocraft.net/bamboo/showgallery.php?cat=809) has been made for Himalayacalamus hookerianus 'Teague's Blue' at the gallery Bamboo Flora

After reading the folowing article by the San Marcos Growers, it would be worthwhile to keep 'Teague's Blue' listed as a separate seedling cultivar so that we can evaluate and compare it's growth rate and stature over a period of time in various locations.

From ... http://www.smgrowers.com/products/plants/plantdisplay.asp?plant_id=2980

<quote>

"This is a robust selection of Blue Bamboo.
It forms an attractive clump of upright 1inch wide culms to 15-20+ feet tall with 6 inch long dark green leaves that dangle gracefully.
The newly emerging culms are a glaucus blue; this color is retained at the base as the culms age to an olive green.
In sunny locations the culms take on a reddish cast on the side facing the sun. Plant in morning sun or light shade in Southern California to full sun further north. Hardy to 15 degrees F.
Great for a hedge planting or for large containers.
It appears to be especially attractive to gophers, so wire basket protection is advised.
Most clones of this bamboo in cultivation flowered continuously through the 1990's and produced an abundance of seedlings that remained smaller than the parent and are marketed as 'New Blue' or 'Blue Baby'.
In addition there were seedlings such as this selection, made by San Diego horticulturist Bill Teague, that are more robust.
Some contend that this plant is no different than the original Blue Bamboo but we do believe it is different.
We make this statement based on seeing 'Teague's Blue' in the Berkeley, CA garden of artist Marcia Donahue and noted that it was notably larger than her plant of the species, which in itself was a nice form of the Blue Bamboo (certainly not a "new blue").
Since there is considerable variability in these seedlings plants we feel that it is important that this robust selection has been named to distinguish it from others.
We are currently growing 3 forms, a very small selection we call 'Baby Blue', the robust 'Teague's Blue' and one that is in between which we simply label as Himalayacalamus hookerianus ..."

<end quote>

[Kell]

Hi
I am new here. I have a Himalayacalamus hookerianus 'Teague's Blue'
in a 20 gallon pot. I bought it 2 years ago in a 5 gallon. I am finally getting good sized new so blue culms. I am so excited.