Phyllostachys bambusoides Tanakae - Giant leopard bamboo

Phyllostachys bambusoides Tanakae is a rare and highly ornamental bamboo. A giant bamboo, its canes can reach 12m in height under good growing conditions. They are green and mottled with purplish and brown markings, which is why it is also known as the Leopard Bamboo. In full sun and when mature, its canes have a unique spotted coat. This variety enjoys full sun and proves quite resilient in dry conditions once established. Perfectly hardy and running, it spreads rapidly, provided it is given the space needed to form a remarkably effective windbreak hedge or bamboo forest.

Native to China, Phyllostachys bambusoides belongs to the Poaceae family; it is a type of giant grass with woody stems. The Tanakae variety can withstand frosts down to -18°C. It enjoys full sun and fertile, moist soils. It is a bamboo with superficial, running rhizomes capable of colonising large areas over time. The plant produces perfectly straight, sturdy canes that can reach 7cm in diameter and 9 to 13m in height in our climate, depending on growing conditions and the severity of winter. In the coldest regions, in USDA zones 6b or 7, maximum growth is 9m. This variety is characterised by its ornamental brown-purple spots present on mature canes exposed to the sun, the result of the action of a bacterium called Asteriella hiugensis, which is not harmful to the plant. The evergreen leaves are dark green. Narrow, lanceolate, and 12 to 15cm long, they are grouped in dense tufts along the secondary stems. Bamboo flowers only once in its lifetime, very late, and then dies.

Phyllostachys bambusoides Tanakae is often planted as a solitary clump, in a small grove, or as an informal hedge. In a contemporary-style garden, it pairs well with palms and large ornamental grasses such as Chinese fountain grass, tufted hair grass, or miscanthus. It can also be paired with other bamboos, such as black bamboo, playing with the colours of the canes. Its young shoots are edible once boiled, and its canes, whose strength rivals that of steel, are commonly used as stakes or for building pergolas and fences.

Tip: Limit the spread of this bamboo's running rhizomes by installing "root barriers" at planting time; these are resin sheets planted vertically in the ground.