Phyllostachys Aurea
"Golden Bamboo"

I am a popular and common bamboo, likely the first species of phyllostachys in North America. Although my new culms emerge green, my older culms that have been exposed to the sun take on a golden yellow color, providing the source of inspiration for my name. I am probably the most commonly cultivated species of bamboo in the United States.

I am sometimes called Tortoise Shell Bamboo because my culms will sometimes have an abbreviated and offset internode pattern, resembling a turtle's shell. This compressed internode characteristic is often prized for making walking sticks or umbrella handles. In the American South, many refer to my species as Fish-Pole Bamboo, and still make us work to catch their dinner.

My culms are not large - only about 25 feet tall and an inch wide, but they are strong, straight and resilient. I am a very prolific bamboo, sometimes misunderstood, disliked because people are unfamiliar with managing my family's growth habits. I am a great potted bamboo, and if I start to look ratty, you can cut all on my culms off, and I will soon shoot up new ones that will look better. In fact, I thrive when my keeper thins my grove from time to time. I love the full sun, please don't use me as an understory.

I am extremely hardy, able to withstand temperatures as low as 0°F (-18°C). I am heat, cold and draught tolerant, and have a greater density of brances near the ground. It is for this reason that I make an excellent screen for many gardens. My prolific lower branches can be pruned away to expose the ornamental aspect of my compressed, often zigzag internodes. Few bamboos have this interesting and beautiful characteristic.