Drepanostachyum Khasianum
"Blue Bamboo"

I am a genus of somewhat tender, montane bamboos that grow up to 16 feet tall and have clumping (pachymorph) rhizome root systems. I am found naturally in the dry semi-tropical forests of the Himalayas at altitudes of 330 to 7200 feet. I am often seen in the wild as a scruffy, heavily foraged shrub less than 10 feet tall, but protected in your garden, I can be quite attractive. I am small and somewhat tender, resembling a 'bamboo boquet' since my culms emerge from the ground very close together.

It is when my culms are emerging and elongating that they have a beautiful light bluish color to them, inspiring my unusual common name. My culms are also distinctively marked at each internode with a light and dark band, like a ring around each of my 1/2 inch diameter stalks.

I tolerate temeratures as low as 22°F (-6°C), and prefer partial shade, rather than full sun.