Chinese timber bamboo

Golden stems takes over

The name 'Aureocaulis' (in inverted commas) indicates that this is a cultivated form of bamboo that does not exist in the wild. This variety is grown in China for its golden stems, often bearing a thin, green, vertical stripe. The stems can reach up to 6 m or higher and quickly form a grove of bamboo that extends gradually by way of root suckers. To prevent it from taking over the whole garden, gardeners must from time to time engage in combat with the rhizomes.

The native Chinese Phyllostachys vivax is also known as the Chinese timber bamboo, which describes its use as a source of timber. Although the stems are hollow, they are also very hard. Today China exports compressed bamboo as a substitute for tropical hardwood. The shoots of new, young stems are very soft and are eaten in China.