Leaf
IKAl, Wikimedia · CC BY-SA 2.5
Umbrella bamboo
Fargesia murielae
Also known as: Muriel bamboo
Family: Poaceae
3 to 5 m tall
Screening hedges and borders; does not develop invasive rhizomes, unlike running bamboos
Flowering: Exceptional gregarious flowering, once every several decades (of no ornamental interest)
Full sun
Part shade
Hardy to about -25°C
❓ How do you recognise this plant?
Unlike the running bamboos of the genus Phyllostachys, it grows in a compact clump without sending out invasive rhizomes — a preferred choice for a bamboo hedge with no risk of colonising the neighbouring garden.
🍃 Leaves
Evergreen, narrow, lanceolate, light green, very dense
🌸 Flowers
Inconspicuous, produced only during the exceptional gregarious flowerings
🍎 Fruits
Caryopses, produced only exceptionally, during flowering
🪵 Bark
Culms (stems) yellow-green when mature, upright then arching at the top
🗺️ Distribution
Native to the mountains of central China
🐝 Value for pollinators
Exceptional flowering of no notable interest to pollinators
✂️ Horticultural uses
Dense, non-running screening hedge, widely used to replace invasive running bamboos
⚠️ Possible toxicity
Non-toxic
🌿 Other Poaceae to discover
ℹ️ Educational profile — do not use it to judge whether a plant is edible or safe.
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