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Re: Do you know this bamboo?

Posted: Fri Jan 12, 2018 5:24 pm
by Chris S
Wind-born, the reason I went into detail about the collection of Yunnan 95-5 was specifically because some websites are saying it was collected by me. My introductions are listed on my website
http://www.bamboo-identification.co.uk/ ... igins.html

Brad, if you don't find a way to photograph the details for species identification, and I know this is very tricky with smaller bamboos, then maybe you can just have a close look yourself, maybe with a hand lens or magnifying glass. Unfortunately we have no decent close-up photos that are confidently referable to Yunnan 95-5 for comparison. However, it would be useful to compare your plant to the good photos we have for a very similar bamboo, also sold as F. scabrida, but in PA in 2009. The identification of that seemed to end up as Yushania brevipaniculata, but the leaf size and shape were similar to your bamboo, and to Yunnan 95-5, and possibly not really so typical of Yushania brevipaniculata.
http://www.bambooweb.info/bb/viewtopic. ... 19&start=0

It is good to get some discussion on how to get decent close-up photos. The collection on bambooweb.info is sadly lacking in close-ups, and the forum topic specifically set up to address this issue has not really come up with relevant information, although it continues to produce lots of interesting pictures. I am always hopeful that a good, simple, cheap, reliable method for getting close-ups will arrive, but it seems it is not really a priority for those who develop cameras, phones or apps.

Re: Do you know this bambo?

Posted: Fri Jan 12, 2018 11:23 pm
by needmore
I'm going to see what I can come up with this weekend, it is supposed to be sunny and I'll be off work!

Re: Do you know this bambo?

Posted: Sat Jan 13, 2018 6:53 pm
by needmore
I have my manual and clear instructions but I just can not get my camera to respond as the manual says it will, fortunately my GF has a decent camera phone. Is this what you requested a photo of? We can probably get better shots if this is too blurry.
IMG_1150.jpg

Re: Do you know this bambo?

Posted: Mon Jan 15, 2018 12:15 pm
by Chris S
Well done Brad & GF, maybe you just have a faulty camera. Anyway, the picture shows that the leaf sheaths at the tips of branches have small/no auricles and upright oral setae, probably consistent with it being the same as the PA plant http://www.bambooweb.info/bb/viewtopic. ... 19&start=0. These are not really spreading enough to be Y. brevipaniculata, which has very pronounced falcate auricles with very dense spreading bristles, on culm sheaths and leaf sheaths. The PA plant also has wax only below the nodes, not covering the entire internode as in Y. brevipaniculata, and it seems to have substantial hairs on its culm sheaths, and the culm sheaths are not showing strong patches of dark colour.
You could call me old-fashioned, but I think these are the kind of characters that should separate species, and which should be investigated for documentation of bamboos that are grown and those in the wild, and for the publication and identification of species. Unfortunately many taxonomists failed to document such characters in any detail on the new species they described :oops: , and now have turned their attention to DNA sequences rather than detailed morphology :roll: We can help by making sure that we put together good collections of photos of these characters and other useful characters on our plants, pooling our knowledge of how they differ between our plants.

Re: Do you know this bambo?

Posted: Mon Jan 15, 2018 3:36 pm
by needmore
So for the time being we call this plant Yushania sp.?

I think that there is inherent practicality in your 'old school' approach, most of us do not DNA analysis at hand and we could learn the morphology aspects. I confess that I've avoid learning the detailed anatomy that would contribute to this primarily out of a lack of application - save for rare cases of what is this bamboo. Roy Rogers posted some photos here with that in mind but I think he is mostly the exception.

Glad to have you around!

Re: Do you know this bambo?

Posted: Wed Jan 17, 2018 3:25 pm
by Tarzanus
DNA sequencing can be a major factor in separating species, but what needs to be done later on, is to create a detailed morphology ID of those species. Some species are closely related and may show treats from one another. DNA can tell you how closely related the species are, how long ago they separated and how they mixed together if/when hybrids formed and developed further. By sequencing bamboos and doing a proper data analysis, we could find out a lot.
To draw the lines between species, morphological differences that can be observable have to be taken into account. If two species (at the moment) are so closely related that they can form viable seeds that result in also fertile offspring, we may not have two species at all but one larger species with vivid morphological variation.

Sadly, there's not much research (at least I'm not aware of it) regarding the building of bamboo's DNA 'fingerprints' that could enable us to search for genetic relationship among bamboo species. If I would go to college, I'd pick that topic for sure. :)