Gaia Yoga

B. dolichomerithalla “Green Stripe”
(photo of young plant)

Max Ht: 35’
Max Diam: 2”
Min Temp: 25 F
Edible: ?

A graceful, beautiful, and strong bamboo that's leafless for the bottom 10 ft. or more. Green culms are very straight with a light-blue, persistent bloom and dark-green stripes. Long internodes make it useable for flutes, blowpipes, etc.

B. pachinensis

Max Ht: 35'
Max Diam: 2"
Min Temp: 25 F
Edible: ?

This is an interesting, somewhat-obscure bamboo that we don't know too much about. It's described as similiar in size to B. textilis but with the timber qualities of B. oldhamii. Apparently, it has erect culms with thick walls, making it suitable for heavy construction.

G. albociliata

Max Ht: 35’
Max Diam: 2”
Min Temp: 30 F
Edible: delicious

This beautifully-decorative bamboo has dense, erect, gray-green culms with white stripes. It forms a tight, leafless clump with higher, vertically weeping, light-green leaves. The almost-solid culms are much used in light construction and furniture (ideal for heating and bending).

Thyrsostachys Siamensis (Monastery Bamboo)

Max Ht: 35’
Max Diam: 2-3”
Min Temp: 25 F
Edible: yes

A handsome ornamental with strong, straight, nearly-solid culms and a frothy profusion of very-fine leaves starting at 8’ high. Slow growing, it makes a very tight clump, with a small footprint. A good windbreak or sound barrier. Used for light construction, tool handles, and basket weaving. Planted extensively in Buddhist monasteries, hence its name.

B. mutabilis
(photos of young plants)

Max Ht: 40’
Max Diam: 2.5”
Min Temp: 25 F
Edible: probably

A very-strong and straight, green bamboo with fine leaves that's branchless on the lower half . It’s physical appearance is almost identical to B.textilis, perhaps a bit smaller, but with harder wood. A superior smaller bamboo — one of our favorites for its combination of elegance and high-quality wood.

B. textilis
(Weaver’s Bamboo)

Max Ht: 40’
Max Diam: 2.5”
Min Temp: 13 F
Edible: yes

This spectacular bamboo forms a very-dense clump. It has straight, strong, thin-walled, almost-vertical culms with 16-24” long internodes. Leafless and branchless on the lower half, with dark-green, consistent-diameter culms. Prized for its strong weaving splits and for general handcraft uses. A classic combination of form and function.

B. tuldoides

Max Ht: 50’
Max Diam: 2.5”
Min Temp: 21 F
Edible: probably

B. tuldoides is one of the strongest bamboos for its size, with very thick walls. It's useable as a hedge because it branches down low, but the low branches also mean more work after harvesting to clean poles. Since there are few bamboos with this size and strength, it's worth considering as a small timber.