Pseudosasa japonica

Synonyms: Arundinaria japonica Siebold & Zucc. ex Steud.; Sasa japonica (Siebold & Zucc. ex Steud.) Makino; Yadakeya japonica (Siebold & Zucc. ex Steud.) Makino; Arundinaria usawae Hayata; Pleioblastus usawae (Hayata) Ohki; Pseudosasa usawae (Hayata) Makino & Nemoto.

Thai name: ไผ่ลูกศร (phai luk son), "luk son" = arrow. — BKF [#1368].

Japanese name: ヤダケ (ya-dake).

Chinese name: 矢竹 (shǐ zhú).

English names: Japanese Arrow Bamboo; Arrow Bamboo.

Distribution: THAILAND (North): introduced, in cultivation, rare. — JAPAN, native. — CHINA, including Taiwan, in cultivation. — KOREA: in cultivation. — In cultivation in many other countries worldwide.

Culm size: Height 2–4 (5) m, diameter 0.5–1.5 cm.

Descriptions:

(1) "Culms erect or nodding, 1–3(–5) m tall, to 1.5 cm thick; internodes long, finely ridged, finely mottled, with light ring of wax below each node; nodes slightly raised; sheath scar large. Branches usually 1 per node, without basal buds or branches on that branch, sometimes rebranching from distal branch nodes. Culm sheaths persistent, to 25 cm, basally glabrous, distally appressed hispid; auricles and oral setae absent; blade erect, 2–5 cm, abaxially glabrous. Leaf sheaths glabrous, margins membranous, not ciliate, auricles absent or small, erect; oral setae scarce, erect, or lacking; ligule oblique, long, slightly pubescent, eroded; abaxial ligule glabrous to finely ciliate; blade abaxially light green to glaucous, adaxially dark green, 15–37 × 1.5–5 cm, glabrous; pseudopetiole glabrous …" — Flora of China [#1303].

(2) Flora of Taiwan [#1106]. (3) Kew GrassBase [#1335].

Images: Line drawing in Flora of China [#1303]; Flora of Taiwan [#1106]. Photos in AsianFlora (culms, leaves) [#1332]; BambooWeb.info [#1340]; BambooCraft.net [#1341].

Characteristics (additional): Culm-internodes 15–30 cm long, thin-walled. Branches typically 1 per node, upper nodes occasionally with 2–3 branches, solitary branch as thick as the main culm or nearly so. Culm-leaf sheath almost as long as the internode, or longer than half the internode. Foliage-leaves (4) 5–7 (9) per branchlet. Foliage-leaf blades glossy dark green above, dull bluish-green beneath, tessellate.

Uses: Culms for making utensils and arrows; plants for hedges, screening, as garden ornamentals, and for landscaping.

Cultivation requirements: Easy and fast-growing; in shade to full sun, preferably in part shade, soil sandy loam to clay loam, normal moisture-retentive to moist with good drainage; frost tolerant to −8 (−15) °C. Rhizomes may grow 2 m and longer within one growth period.

Comments: Flowers and seeds are known.

Synonym: Pseudosasa japonica var. tsutsumiana Yanagita, 1934: 598.

Thai name: ไผ่ลูกศรน้ำเต้า (phai luk son nam tao). Japanese name: ラッキョウヤダケ (rakkyou-ya-dake).

English names: Calabash Arrow Bamboo, Green Onion Bamboo.

Distribution: THAILAND: introduced to Chiang Mai Province, northern Thailand, about 2010, in cultivation, rare. — JAPAN: origin, in cultivation. — In cultivation in many countries worldwide, though rare.

Culm size: somewhat smaller in height.

Images: Photos in BambooWeb.info; BambooCraft.net.

Uses: Plants as garden ornamentals.