Phyllostachys rubromarginata

Phyllostachys rubromarginata, the reddish bamboo^[1] or red margin bamboo, is a species of Phyllostachys bamboo, native to Central China, specifically Guangxi and Guizhou.

Phyllostachys rubromarginata
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Monocots
Clade:	Commelinids
Order:	Poales
Family:	Poaceae
Genus:	Phyllostachys
Species:	P. rubromarginata
Binomial name
Phyllostachys rubromarginata McClure

Name

Its common name comes from the colorization of the margins of the newly sprouted culm sheaths, exhibiting a reddish stripe. It was classified by the Smithsonian's Floyd McClure in 1940.^[2] In China, it is named hongbian zhu or nuer zhu (maiden's bamboo).^[3]

Description

Red margin bamboo is a cold-hardy, temperate mountain bamboo which grows and spreads quickly, creating a tall screen, and reproducing by running underground rhizomes.

Phyllostachys rubromarginata culms may reach as high as 4 to 9 m (13 to 30 ft), while in China, it is reported as high as 16 m (52 ft). Mature culms grow from 2.5 to 6 cm (0.98 to 2.36 in)diameter with dark green internodes 22–31 cm (8.5–12 in) apart.^[4] It is cold tolerant to between −16 and −24 °C (3 and −11 °F).^[5]

Usage and distribution

Its high-quality timber is used in basket making, and has become a popular ornamental plant in North America. The shoots are edible.^[6] It grows wild in Guangxi and Guizhou as scrub and along banks of gullies. It is commonly cultivated in Henan, China.