Description
Height: 1.5 to 2 metres
This semi-dwarf species has elongated, exotic-looking leaves, easily 50 centimetres in length: the longest of any of the hardy bamboos. Thin, flexible stems bend over with the weight of the shiny, dark-green foliage and transform the clump into a graceful mound. It grows in semi-shade or sun, and as it is a bit of a runner, some control may be necessary, especially in warm areas. We like to use it as groundcover, and think it is particularly effective under trees, where it makes a green sea of flowing leaves. Incidentally, this bamboo has had at least six name changes since it was discovered in the mid-nineteenth century. We’re not surprised: Colonel W. Munro who first named it admitted “I have only seen the dried leaves of this species when sewn together and… used by the Chinese in packing their tea.”