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Bamboo that resembles cannabis?

Posted: Sat Oct 20, 2018 2:33 am
by MarkR84
So I was driving down a somewhat rural road past the same bamboo clump I have seen for over five years, then spotted what had a strong resemblance to Cannabis bud. I stopped and took a couple pictures. From the best I can tell it's not Cannabis, but a bamboo. There were about three stalks, the one I photographed was the biggest. Correct me if I'm mistaken, but is this bamboo and if so, what kind is it? Located in roughly central NC. If this is indeed some known variety of bamboo, I will probably leave it alone. However, if it's some unknown kind, possibly a mutant, I will go back as soon as I get the chance and grab some cuttings. It's very interesting to look at and I bet it really messes with the heads of those who see it.

On a side note, I did not actually touch the plant due to time constraints, I grabbed a quick picture.

Re: Bamboo that resembles cannabis?

Posted: Sun Oct 21, 2018 6:25 am
by Tarzanus
If I would have to guess what this is, I'd say it's a shoot that froze at some point and lost all terminal branches almost all the way to the culm. Looking at normally developed culms, It might have been grazed by animals or lawnmower.
It could be a mutation as well, but I think it's not really likely enough to be considered.

Make a closer inspection of the bamboo. If the 'buds' developed around the nodes of branches that were cut off/damaged, then it's just an effect of fancy bamboo pruning. I have seen similar growth pattern on my Phyllostachys pubescens seedling after it got cold damaged. It got too damaged though and looked more like a half dead bamboo with pom-pom branches.

Cuttings won't work. It is most likely Phyllostachys and will only take off if you take a rhizome sectiob with at least 3 or more buds.

Re: Bamboo that resembles cannabis?

Posted: Sun Oct 21, 2018 4:04 pm
by needmore
Looks to me like there may be at least 2 species in there, the 'bud-like' culms could easily be native A gigantea or possibly a form of a Semiarundinaria. The longer branch form is surely a Phyllostachys.

My money is on A gigantea, I've seen it look like that before on the native Indiana clones.

Re: Bamboo that resembles cannabis?

Posted: Mon Oct 22, 2018 5:28 am
by Tarzanus
Brad, what puzzles me the most are quite long branches for Arundinaria. The one on the photo seems to have dominant branch, just like Phyllostachys. Arundinaria, I have not seen many, has short and thin branches, dosen't it? More like Fargesia than Phyllostachys.

If it is in fact a fancy looking clone of whatevee bamboo , I would definitely go there and try to get a division. Even if it's native, even more so.

Re: Bamboo that resembles cannabis?

Posted: Mon Oct 22, 2018 2:19 pm
by needmore
You could be right, those are quite long branches, I have seen bamboo look crazed like that when attacked with herbicide, really mutant growth can emerge, perhaps that is a possibility?

Re: Bamboo that resembles cannabis?

Posted: Mon Oct 22, 2018 7:18 pm
by Alan_L
I don't know if I'd like to have a bamboo that looks like a spruce. :)

Re: Bamboo that resembles cannabis?

Posted: Tue Oct 23, 2018 1:22 am
by needmore
My first thought was S tootsik but I can not think that it would survive in NC but it looks like that. Anything below +10F would likely kick it back.

Re: Bamboo that resembles cannabis?

Posted: Sun Mar 17, 2019 12:50 am
by zxylene
I have saw some basic Yellow Groove around here that was normal but after trimming and herbicide treatment along the road looked just like that. I am curious if the whole grove (if it is large) looks like that or just edges near animals, trimmers or treatment.

I will try to grab a pic of some of the ones that look like that around here.