Narihira Bamboo

In Great Britain and/or Ireland:
Foodplant / parasite
hypophyllous uredium of Puccinia kusanoi parasitises live leaf of Arundinaria fastuosa

Foodplant / parasite
hypophyllous telium of Puccinia longicornis parasitises live leaf of Arundinaria fastuosa

Culms 3–9 m, 1–4 cm in diam.; internodes initially green, later brownish, terete, 10–30 cm, glabrous, hollow. Branches 3 per node. Culm sheaths essentially glabrous but proximally hairy; auricles minute; oral setae few; ligule 1–1.5 mm, apex truncate, ciliate; blade narrowly lanceolate, apex acuminate. Leaves 3–7(–10) per ultimate twig; sheath ca. 4 cm, sparsely pubescent; auricles obscure; ligule truncate, 1–1.5 mm; blades narrowly lanceolate, 8–20 × 1.5–2.5 cm, papery, glabrous or abaxially proximally pubescent, secondary veins 6–8-paired, transverse veins present, base rounded or broadly cuneate, contracted into a short pseudopetiole, margin serrulate, apex acuminate. Inflorescence panicle-like, subtended by ovate or lanceolate, leathery, glabrous, sheathlike spathes 3.5–4 cm. Pseudospikelets 1 or 2 subtended by a spathe; spikelet narrowly terete, 5–10 cm; florets 3–6; rachilla ca. 1 cm. Glumes always absent; lemmas ovate or broadly lanceolate, 1.5–3 cm, leathery, ciliate, ca. 20-veined; palea broadly lanceolate, 1.8–2 cm, 3-veined, apex bifid; lodicules ca. 5 mm. Filaments ca. 2 cm; anthers yellow, ca. 1.1 cm. Ovary terete, ca. 4 mm, glabrous; styles ca. 4 mm; stigmas 3, plumose. Caryopsis unknown.

Cultivated in many cities of Taiwan and mainland China [native to Japan (SW Honshu)].

Bambusa fastuosa Mitford, Garden (London) 46: 547. 1894; Arundinaria fastuosa (Mitford) J. Houzeau; A. narihira Makino; Phyllostachys fastuosa (Mitford) Pfitzer.

Semiarundinaria fastuosa, the Narihira bamboo, Narihira cane or Narihiradake, is a species of flowering plant in the grass family Poaceae, native to Japan. Growing to 7 m (23 ft) tall by 2 m (7 ft) broad, it is a vigorous, evergreen bamboo with dark green cylindrical canes and dense tufts of lanceolate, glossy green leaves, up to 20 cm (8 in) long.

In cultivation it is useful as an architectural plant or screen. It has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.

The specific epithet fastuosa is Latin for "proud".