Flora of New Zealand Series

Oldham's bamboo

Large, clump-forming. Culm usually 10-13 m (often taller in cultivation) × 4-8 cm diam., not narrowing for many metres, dark green. Culm-sheath very large, ephemeral dark appressed hairs on the larger shoots only; ligule very short; auricles very small or 0; sheath-blade to c. 13 × 10 cm, broadly triangular. Branches several from each node, usually ≤ 1 m long (plant appearing fastigiate), 1 branch much stouter than others. Leaf-sheath glabrous. Oral bristles prominent. Auricles small. Ligule small. Leaf-blade 8-18 × 1.5-3 cm, ± oblong-lanceolate, glabrous, abaxially green, adaxially darker and ± shining green. Inflorescence culms to c. 1 m, from periphery of clump. Spikelets sessile, in small clusters, 3-4 cm, laterally flattened with glumes appearing plaited, shining purple or greenish purple.

N.: Hamilton (Awatere Avenue and Hunter Gully near the Waikato River). In gully amongst willows and along part of adjacent river bank and roadside.

Naturalised from south China.

Flowering began in summer 1994/95 and continues.

Bambusa oldhamii is commonly cultivated in warmer parts of North Id, especially as an orchard windbreak because of its dense semi-fastigiate, non-invasive habit. The small wild population near the Waikato River most probably originated from cultivation on the cliff top above.

Bambusa oldhamii has been confused with Dendrocalamus latifolius Munro which is cultivated in N.Z., but the latter has generally larger leaf-blades, auriculate culm-sheaths, and rather small, narrow triangular or oblong-triangular sheath-blades.