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
Native: indigenous.
Non-native: introduced (intentionally or unintentionally); has become naturalized.
County documented: documented to exist in the county by evidence (herbarium specimen, photograph). Also covers those considered historical (not seen in 20 years).
State documented: documented to exist in the state, but not documented to a county within the state. Also covers those considered historical (not seen in 20 years).
Note: when native and non-native populations both exist in a county, only native status is shown on the map.
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enlargeCharacteristics
- 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
-
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
- present
- Maine
- absent
- Massachusetts
- present
- New Hampshire
- absent
- Rhode Island
- absent
- Vermont
- absent
Conservation status
Exact status definitions can vary from state to state. For details, please check with your state.
- Massachusetts
- not applicable (S-rank: SNA)
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:
- branches from midpoint of stem solitary, reproductive stems terete, and spikelets pedicellate (vs. P. dulcis, with branches from midpoint of stem in pairs, strongly unequal, reproductive stems grooved on one side, and spikelets sessile).