Pleioblastus fortunei
Pleioblastus fortunei (Van Houtte) Nakai, J. Jap. Bot. 9 (4), 1933: 232.
Synonyms: Bambusa fortunei Van Houtte; Bambusa pygmaea Miquel; Bambusa disticha Mitford.
Distribution: THAILAND (North): Introduced, and possibly successfully cultivated in mountainous areas of high altitude of the Doi Saket District, Chiang Mai Province. — JAPAN: origin.
Specimen: BS-0841 [†] (living plant), raised from seeds received from a cultivated flowering plant, "Pleioblastus fortunei" with white/cream striped leaves, from G. C., USA, in August 2015.
Characteristics: Foliage-leaf blades green.
Seed viability: Unknown, viability is assumed to last at least several months.
Seed weight: 2.0 g ≈ 39 dried spikelets (husk-wrapped seeds).
Seed germination: Germination was carried out with seeds bare of husks; germination rate very low (test 150831).
Comments:
(1) Photos in Scottish Bamboo; Pleioblastus fortunei, starting flowering, bamboodirect.com on Facebook, 22 Feb. 2015.
(2) Height less than 1 m, diameter up to 1–2 mm; runner. Culms erect, branches absent or 1 per node. The species was described and is widely known, as having leaves with white or cream stripes. The species is native to Japan, cultivated as an ornamental plant throughout Japan, in China (Jiangsu and Zhejiang Provinces), and in many other parts of the world, mainly in Europe and the USA. Seeds of this species were collected from a cultivated plant with striped leaves. As expected, all seedlings raised from the seeds of the mother plant (with white/cream striped leaves) developed green leaves only.
Pleioblastus fortunei (BS-0841): A seed with lemma and palea removed (left), a seedling with its first leaf, not showing any variegation (right)
Pleioblastus fortunei (BS-0841): Seedling, four and a half months old
Pleioblastus fortunei (Van Houtte) Nakai 'Fortunei'
Synonyms: Bambusa fortunei Van Houtte; Arundinaria fortunei (Van Houtte) Rivière & C. Rivière; Arundinaria variabilis var. fortunei (Van Houtte) J. Houz.; Sasa fortunei (Van Houtte) Fiori; Bambusa variegata Siebold ex Miq.; Pleioblastus variegatus (Siebold ex Miq.) Makino; Sasa variegata (Siebold ex Miq.) É. G. Camus.
Thai name: Not recorded.
Chinese name: 菲白竹 (fěi bái zhú).
Japanese name: チゴザサ (chi-go za-sa).
English name: Dwarf Whitestripe Bamboo.
Distribution: THAILAND (North): Introduced, and possibly successfully cultivated in mountainous areas of high altitude of the Doi Saket District, Chiang Mai Province. — JAPAN: origin. — CHINA: cultivated in Zhejiang and Jiangsu, and probably also in other provinces. — In cultivation in many countries worldwide.
Description: Flora of China [#1303].
Specimen: BS-0101 [†] (living plant), received from cultivated stock as "Sasa Silver Stripe" from a plant nursery [ศ. ส.] in Doi Saket, Chiang Mai Province, Thailand, March 2013; the plants were obtained by the nursery in Dec. 2011 from cultivated stock in Yunnan, China.
Characteristics: Foliage-leaf blades medium-sized, green with white and cream stripes.
Pleioblastus fortunei (Van Houtte) Nakai 'Pygmaeus'
Synonyms: Bambusa pygmaea Miquel; Sasa pygmaea (Miquel) Rehder; Pleioblastus pygmaeus (Miquel) Nakai; Nipponocalamus pygmaeus (Miquel) Nakai.
Thai name: Not recorded.
Distribution: THAILAND (North): Introduced, and possibly successfully cultivated in mountainous areas of high altitude of the Doi Saket District, Chiang Mai Province. — JAPAN: origin. — CHINA: cultivated in Zhejiang and Jiangsu, and probably also in other provinces. — In cultivation in many countries worldwide.
Specimen: BS-0100 [S3] (living plant), received from cultivated stock as "Sasa green leaves" from a plant nursery [ศ. ส.] in Doi Saket, Chiang Mai Province, Thailand, March 2013; the plants were obtained by the nursery in Dec. 2011 from cultivated stock in Yunnan, China.
Characteristics: Foliage-leaf blades small, green.
Comments: The plant is currently too small to recognize the cultivar; it could be 'Pygmaeus' or 'Distichus'.