Phyllostachys parvifolia

[Mark Meckes]

This thread has been started to help shed some light on this species of bamboo, relatively unknown in the US, though it has been trialed and is available at various sources in Europe.

Excerpt from article - `New Introductions' by Jos van der Palen of Bamboo Nursery KIMMEI

Phyllostachys parvifolia
A more recent Phyllostachys species has been intriguing me for some years now, due to its growth, its appearance and its winter hardiness. This bamboo is called Phyllostachys parvifolia. In fact, it is hard to believe that this species has only become available now and only in small numbers. Years ago this bamboo had already been introduced from China, but for some reason it never entered the circuit of collectors and growers of bamboo, although a form of Ph. nuda with smaller leaves has carried this name unjustly.

The name parvifolia points to the small leaves that make this bamboo the shining star. The fine structure of the leaves gives it a cloud-like appearance. The new shoots are easily recognized, like long slender javelins, they emerge from the soil at the end of June to early July. They are initially slightly oblique, but when they grow taller, they become erect. The culms have powdered rings under the nodes, like Ph. nuda. From a distance, this species resembles 'Henon's bamboo', Phyllostachys nigra 'Henonis', but the culms are comparatively thicker and the leaves are smaller.

During the last cold winter of 96/97, even -19°C (-2°F) did not damage the young culms of what was then a small and delicate plant in my garden. The leaves remained completely green in contrast to various other bamboos like Phyllostachys nigra 'Henonis' growing at the same spot. A young specimen of Ph. parvifolia in the garden of Max Riedelsheimer in Stockdorf near Munich survived the winter of 1999/2000 with even less leaf damage than for example Ph. aureosulcata and Ph. bissetii. For short periods, temperatures dropped as low as -20°C (-3°F). Meanwhile, my specimen has grown taller than 7m. (23 feet) after 7 years of growth. The growth is less explosive than that of Ph. vivax for example, but the culm wall is much thicker and hence much stronger....
- Jos van der Palen