Wanted Clone X

[Roy]

Roy you discovered one heck of a bamboo. Mine is growing faster and bigger than the ventricosa. What an interesting story! Would be interesting to know where in Asia it came from was it Vietnam? Can you give a better description of what the tops look like? Can you ell me what the tops look like, I mean are they bushy and thick like say a ventricosa or what? Both photos are clearly showing masses of culms but I can not see the leaves. In the photo it looks like it has few leaves, all culms and branches, but I realize the lighting is affecting what it really looks like.

The bright sky light behind the clump seems to make the top portion of the middle of the clump disappear.

Here's an image of 2 pictures put together showing what the culms in the clump look like about 30 or so feet up. You can see some leaves in the background (and perhaps foreground).

[Mike McG]

[quote=" "What do I think that it is? I think that it is a superior seedling of B. ventricosa (Buddha's Belly). It has all the identifying characteristics of B. ventricosa, but doesn't belly and is much more vigorous."[/quote]

Roy,
I have very limited experience with Clone X, and although I could not argue that it is not a seedling of B. ventricosa, I would say Clone X's appearance as a young plant is very much different than B. ventricosa, with which I also only have limited experience. I have a new Clone X growing in full sun near an older B. ventricosa and for that matter a B. tuldoides.

Both tend to have zigzag culms when young but Clone X appears to sprawl even more than B. ventricosa. In addition to the vigor, the other main difference I see is that for young plants the leaves on the Clone X are very sparse compared B. ventricosa or for that matter B. tuldoides. Usually young plants of similar species are difficult to tell apart but to me a young Clone X appears to be very distinctive.

My question is: are the auricles and oral setae of a mature Clone X similar to B. ventricosa?

Edit: After posting I realized you may have posted pictures and you had. The auricles appear to me to be even more different than perhaps the uneven size of B. tuldoides are compared to B ventricosa. Roy, I would appreciate your input on this or am I way off base?

Mike near Brenham TX

[Roy]

[quote=" "What do I think that it is? I think that it is a superior seedling of B. ventricosa (Buddha's Belly). It has all the identifying characteristics of B. ventricosa, but doesn't belly and is much more vigorous."

Roy,
I have very limited experience with Clone X, and although I could not argue that it is not a seedling of B. ventricosa, I would say Clone X's appearance as a young plant is very much different than B. ventricosa, with which I also only have limited experience. I have a new Clone X growing in full sun near an older B. ventricosa and for that matter a B. tuldoides.

Both tend to have zigzag culms when young but Clone X appears to sprawl even more than B. ventricosa. In addition to the vigor, the other main difference I see is that for young plants the leaves on the Clone X are very sparse compared B. ventricosa or for that matter B. tuldoides. Usually young plants of similar species are difficult to tell apart but to me a young Clone X appears to be very distinctive.

My question is: are the auricles and oral setae of a mature Clone X similar to B. ventricosa?

Edit: After posting I realized you may have posted pictures and you had. The auricles appear to me to be even more different than perhaps the uneven size of B. tuldoides are compared to B ventricosa. Roy, I would appreciate your input on this or am I way off base?

Mike near Brenham TX[/quote]


Mike,

Since the B. sp. Clone X and B. ventricosa have the same basic form, and don't look similar to any other bamboo, that is the reason I say maybe a superior seedling. The 2 biggest difference between the 2 is the Clone X has more 'vigor' and size than B. ventricosa. And that's not to say that B. ventricosa is a slow grower and short statue. It's tough as nails also.

There are some pictures of both of these in the Bambooweb.info gallery and some of the picture do show some up close images of key means to ID bamboo.

B.ventricosa



B.sp. 'Clone X'

[Roy]

Edit: After posting I realized you may have posted pictures and you had. The auricles appear to me to be even more different than perhaps the uneven size of B. tuldoides are compared to B ventricosa. Roy, I would appreciate your input on this or am I way off base?

Mike,

I didn't see this part until I looked at my post. You must have posted while I was typing my post.

The auricles seem to be similar to me. Now B. tuldoides' auricles are very distinctive to me.

I've spent years trying to figure this one out and I'm at the point I don't believe that I ever will. It's hard for my brain to do any more contemplating on it. I feel like there should be another definition for bamboozaled, and then I think I would fit the definition.

[JeffreyDV]

Has anyone done any studies regarding hardiness? I have a couple of B. multiplex here for their first Winter in the ground. It rarely gets into the teens here and the ground has yet to get below freezing at a depth of about 8 inches. I am curious to see how some of these vigorous tropicals will do in these conditions.