Fargesia and leaf mortality to cold

[electrum!]

When the winter hardiness figures are given for some fargesias in the minus 10s and 20s, does this refer to leaf hardiness or culm hardiness? Are the winter hardy fargesias actually deciduous? or should be considered so in zones colder than 6 or 7?

Followup question: if said fargesias basically are deciduous at temperatures around or below 0 degrees F, should they be characterized as like the epitomes of hardiness? Aren't some phyllostachids more leaf hardy than the fargesias?

Thanks for helping me to get my mind around a question that has bedeviled me for 10 years!

[Thuja]

Fargesia nitida culm hardiness in my climate lies somewhere between -13 and -17F. That's the hardiest results I've seen so far during my few years of experimenting.

[electrum!]

Thuja (are you a plicata or an occidentalis?),
You wrote: "Fargesia nitida culm hardiness in my climate lies somewhere between -13 and -17F. That's the hardiest results I've seen so far during my few years of experimenting.".

By that do you mean that they are hardiest results better than any other genera of bamboo? That Fargesias beat all Phyllostachids for example?

Cheers, e!

[Thuja]

I'm definnitely an occidentalis.

By that [That's the hardiest] do you mean that they are hardiest results better than any other genera of bamboo? That Fargesias beat all Phyllostachids for example?

Ya, unfortunately, that's what I meant. Still hope to find something out there hardier but so far F. n. gets my top "Thuja" cold hardiness rating.

[Thuja]

On the other hand, Fargesia nitida leaf hardiness seems somewhat backward for me. It dies off in autumn or winter well above 0*F, yet the culms can withstand lower temperatures than any Phyllostachys I grown so far.