Discussion

Short Bamboo

The smallest bamboo species grows to only a few inches in height. Among these shorties is the dwarf fernleaf bamboo (Pleioblastus distichus) which tops out at about 12 inches. 

Sasa Bamboo

Among the shorter bamboo genera is sasa, generally called broad-leaf bamboo. Depending on the source, there are from 10 to 13 sasa species. The shortest couple are 2 to 3 feet tall when mature. Most are in the 5 to 6 feet range. One sasa species grows to 15 feet.

Sasa veitchii bamboo (kumazasa in Japanese) typically grows 3 to 5 feet, but it can grow up to 8 feet in perfect conditions. New leaves in the spring begin all green, but toward the fall, they develop a whitish fringe. This makes them prized as ornamentals.

An interesting characteristic of sasa bamboo is the husk around the culm. All bamboo culm initially have husks growing from the nodes, but most bamboo species shed the husks as they mature. Sasa bamboo keep their husks permanently.

The leaves of some sasa species are used in cooking. They are harvested when they are about 12 inches in length. You can see from the photo why sasa are often called broad-leaf bamboo in comparison to the leaves of most other bamboo.

Sasa leaves are highly nutritious, and some of their properties are used in traditional Chinese medicine. Because the leaves are too tough to eat by themselves, they are sometimes used to brew tea or taken in powered form, added to a liquid base. Mostly, however, they are used to wrap other food with. Sasa sushi (rice wrapped in sasa leaves) when steam cooked, picks up nutritional benefits from the leaves and some of its flavor, too.

Fargesia rufa

A step up in height is the Fargesia rufa bamboo which typically grows from 6 to 10 feet high. Extreme examples can be up to 13 feet tall. They tend to grow in tightly contained clumps.

Fargesia rufa is notable for being among the favorite types of bamboo that Pandas like to eat.

Clumping vs. Running Bamboo

The clumping seen in the Fargesia rufa photo above is no accident. All bamboo fall into two categories based on their root type, clumping or running. Clumping bamboo roots grow very slowly and tend to stay contained within a fairly small area. The roots look like this.

It isn't a good idea to plant clumpers close to walls, buildings, sidewalks, etc. because though bamboo clumps tend to expand slowly, they do expand inexorably. If not cut back, they will eventually break through most barriers.

Runners spread very rapidly. They can be excellent for growing dense, green, privacy screens.

Thyrsostachys siamensis

A final bamboo species, Thyrsostachys siamensis has many common names, among them being umbrella bamboo, monastery bamboo, and long-sheath bamboo. It grows from 23 to 43 feet tall and is a runner. The culm walls are so thick that the lumen, the hollow interior space, is very tiny.

ts shoots are used as a food source in southeast Asia, and it is canned in Thailand.

Artwork

Sesson Shūkei (1504 – c. 1589)

A painter of the Muromachi Period (1336 to 1573), Sesson was disinherited by his father, the head of a samurai clan, and became a Zen Buddhist monk at Shōsō-ji temple where he became a master of ink painting. In the view of many scholars, Sesson's paintings are on par with those of Sesshū Tōyō (1420-1506). Sesson's hanging scroll below, painted sometime in the 1550s, portrays his version of the Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove, an ancient Chinese story dating to the 3rd century. A group of seven literati departed from strict Confucian conduct for a carefree outing in a bamboo grove where they drank wine, told witty stories, and played music and chess. Sesson's version added dancing and the company of women and children.

Kanō Tan'yū (1602 – 1674)

Tan'yū was the son and grandson of former heads of the Kanō school. Several of his paintings are among the most famous artworks of that school and are official Japanese National Treasures. Tan'yū became the first official painter of the Tokugawa shōgunate. He is best known for his byōbu, but was equally adept at ink on paper paintings like this hanging scroll.

Itō Jakuchū (1716 – 1800)

A grocer's son, Jakuchū showed a talent for art while he was still a child. It is thought that he studied under a Kanō school master in his teens, but he drew most of his inspiration from observing things around him in his father's store; vegetables, fish, and chickens. He is noted for realism in his paintings. He liked to paint exotic and fantastic creatures, too. The Bamboo in the Wind painting below is the first in which he signed Jakuchū as his artist's name.

As his reputation grew, Jakachū began to receive commissions, one of which, in 1760, was to paint 50 murals in the Kinkaku-ji temple, Kyōto's Golden Pavilion. This is one of his bamboo paintings on four of the temple's fusuma (sliding doors).

Katsushika Hokusai (1760 – 1849)

Hokusai is famous for his ukiyo-e prints; especially his landscapes, though he painted many other subjects, too. As large as his output was, he produced much more artwork on other media than he did prints. It isn't known when he painted this ink on paper bamboo.