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Phyllostachys dulcis — sweet-shoot bamboo

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Facts

Sweet-shoot bamboo is a popular garden bamboo, that is also cultivated in China for its edible shoots. It may very rarely escape cultivation in North America, and has been collected from the wild in Massachusetts.

Habitat

Anthropogenic (man-made or disturbed habitats), meadows and fields

New England distribution

Adapted from BONAP data

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North America distribution

Adapted from BONAP data

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Characteristics

Habitat
terrestrial
New England state
Massachusetts
Leaf blade width
15–25 mm
Inflorescence branches
the flowers are attached to branches rather than to the main axis of the inflorescence
Glume relative length
neither glume is quite as long as all of the florets
One or more florets
there is more than one floret per spikelet
Leaf ligule length
Up to 2 mm
Show all characteristics
  • Flowers

    Anther number
    3
    Glume relative length
    neither glume is quite as long as all of the florets
    Glume veins
    7 or more
    Inflorescence branches
    the flowers are attached to branches rather than to the main axis of the inflorescence
    Lemma surface
    the surface of the lemma is relatively smooth (not counting any longitudinal veins or hairs)
    Lemma tip
    the lemma tip is a simple point, with or without an awn (long narrow extension ending in a point)
    Lemma vein number
    7 or more
    One or more florets
    there is more than one floret per spikelet
    Palea relative length
    palea is one half to fully as long as lemma
    Reproductive system
    all the flowers on the plant have both carpels and stamens (synoecious)
    Spikelet axis tip
    there is an extension of the spikelet axis beyond the tip of the spikelet
    Spikelet pedicel
    the spikelets do not have pedicels
    Spikelets spiny
    the spikelets do not appear spiny
  • Fruits or seeds

    Groove on seed
    the caryopsis has a groove running most of its length
  • Growth form

    Lifespan
    the plant lives more than two years
    Rhizomes
    yes
    Roots
    the plant has rhizomes (horizontal underground stem with roots growing from it)
  • Leaves

    Leaf auricles
    • the leaves do not have auricles
    • the leaves have auricles
    Leaf blade base
    the leaf has a stalk-like base
    Leaf blade cross-section
    the leaf blade is more or less flat in cross-section, or slightly folded or rolled inwards
    Leaf blade hairs
    the leaf blade is hairy
    Leaf blade length
    9–14 cm
    Leaf blade width
    15–25 mm
    Leaf ligule length
    Up to 2 mm
    Leaf ligule type
    the leaf ligule is in the form of a membrane with fine hairs
    Leaf sheath closed around stem
    the margins of the leaf sheath are overlapping and not fused together except in the basal half (or less)
    Leaf sheath hairs
    there are hairs on the surface of the leaf sheath
  • Place

    Habitat
    terrestrial
    New England state
    Massachusetts
    Specific habitat
    • man-made or disturbed habitats
    • meadows or fields
  • Stem, shoot, branch

    Plant height
    Up to 1000 cm
    Stem orientation
    the stems are upright
    Stem spacing
    the stems grow singly or a few together (they may form diffuse colonies)
    Stem thickness at base
    40–60 mm

Wetland status

Not classified

In New England

Distribution

Connecticut
absent
Maine
absent
Massachusetts
present
New Hampshire
absent
Rhode Island
absent
Vermont
absent

Conservation status

None

From Flora Novae Angliae dichotomous key

1.  Phyllostachys dulcis McClure E

sweet-shoot bamboo. MA. Fields, yards.

Native to North America?

No

Sometimes confused with

Pseudosasa japonica

Family

Poaceae