Bamboo Identification Made Easy: A Step By Step Guide
How to identify bamboo species? Bamboo identification, or researching bamboo names can be a difficult task, especially if you are not familiar with scientific and botanical terms. Most databases online will use descriptions that look like this: Guadua angustifolia.
Understood…? If this sounds too complicated, then this page is for you, a comprehensive beginners guide to bamboo identification!
Measuring Bamboo
Photo by: Stéphane Schröder © www.guaduabamboo.com
What type of bamboo do I have?
To identify a bamboo species you will need to observe all parts of the bamboo plant in great detail. Rarely can a single part of the plant be used to recognize a bamboo species immediately. Usually it is a combination of characteristics that lead to the correct identification or classification of a bamboo species.
On this page you can find a comprehensive checklist which you can use to analyze all the important parts of your bamboo plant(s). These parts consist of the bamboo culms (stems), culm sheaths, branches, branch leaves, inflorescence (flowers), and rhizomes (roots). Keep in mind though that many bamboo species flower at extremely long intervals such as 65 or even 120 years, the chance that you can identify bamboo by its flowers is therefore very slim.
Apart from its physical appearance, it is also important to observe where the bamboo plant is growing. Location (latitude and longitude), elevation, and habitat (type of soil, surrounding vegetation, climate conditions, etc) is all useful data.
Once you have collected all this information it will be a lot easier to find out what type of bamboo you have.
Identifying Bamboo Culms
Figure 1
Spacing of the culms
Do the culms grow close together forming a dense clump (if so, what is the diameter of the clump and estimate number of culms included)?
Are the culms widely separated and not forming dense clumps (if so, what is the distance between the culms)?
Growth habit of the culms
Are the culms growing strictly upright?
Are the culms growing upright and arching over?
Are the culms lying along the ground, with the extremity curving upwards?
Are the culms vine-like, and if so, are they climbing or hanging?
Size of the culms
What is the average height / length of the culms?
What is the average diameter of the culms at breast height?
Occurrence of the nodes
Are the nodes far apart from each other? (Fig. 1a)
Are the nodes in close succession? (Fig. 1g)
Shape of the nodes (in longitudinal section)
Are the sides of the nodes parallel? (Fig. 1a)
Are the nodes narrower below and widening above? (Fig. 3d)
Figure 3
Architecture of the nodes
Does the node have a horizontal nodal line? (Fig. 3f)
Does the node have a dipping nodal line? (Fig. 3i)
Does the node have a nodal line plus a nodal ridge? (Fig. 3d)
Does the node have a girdle? (Fig. 3a)
Surface of the nodes
Is the surface of the nodes smooth?
Is the surface of the nodes covered with fine short hairs?
Is the surface of the nodes covered with small bumps (root primordia) or root thorns? (Fig. 3j)
Color of the internodes
Do the internodes have a bright green color?
Do the internodes have a grayish-green color?
Do the internodes have a green color mottled with purple?
Do the internodes have a yellow color with green stripes?
Other?
Surface of the internodes
Is the surface of the internodes smooth?
Is the surface of the internodes covered with fine short hairs?
Is the surface of the internodes covered with whitish bloom?
Shape of the internodes (in cross-section)
Are the internodes round? (Fig. 1e)
Do the internodes have a groove (sulcate)? (Fig. 1d)
Are the internodes flat on one side and rounded on the other side (plano-convex)? (Fig. 3d)
State of the internodes
Are the internodes hollow, if so what is the average wall thickness? (Fig. 1a, b)
Are the internodes solid, if so what is the amount of pith area? (Fig. 1c, e)
Contents of the internodes (when hollow)
Are the internodes empty inside?
Do the internodes have powder on the inside walls?
Are the internodes filled with liquid?
Length of the internodes (at breast height)
What is the average length of the internodes, i.e. distance between the nodes?
For more information see this article about: Bamboo Stem Anatomy
Identifying Bamboo Culm Sheaths
Figure 2
Duration of the culm sheaths on the culm
Are the culm sheaths falling off early?
Are the culm sheaths falling off slowly?
Are the culm sheaths not falling off?
Shape of the culm sheaths
Do the culm sheaths have the same shape throughout the culm?
Are the culm sheaths thin and long at top of the culm, and wide and short at base of the culm?
Do the culm sheaths become smaller towards top of culm?
Color and pattern of the culm sheaths (when fresh)
What is the color of the culm sheaths?
Are the culm sheaths mottled?
Are the culm sheaths striped?
Surface of the culm sheaths
Are the culm sheaths smooth?
Are the culm sheaths covered with a whitish bloom?
Are the culm sheaths densely covered with small hairs?
Texture of the culm sheaths
Do the culm sheaths have a hard texture?
Do the culm sheaths have a soft texture?
Posture of the culm sheath-blade
Are the culm sheath blades erect? (Fig. 2a, b, f)
Are the culm sheath blades reflexed? (Fig. 2d)
Are the culm sheath blades horizontal? (Fig. 2c)
Duration of the culm sheath-blade on the sheath
Does the culm sheath blade remain attached?
Are the culm sheath blades falling off?
Identifying Bamboo Branches
Figure 1
Occurrence of the branches
Do branches occur on all nodes?
Do branches only occur on the upper nodes?
Habit and length of the branches
Are the main branches elongated and vine-like?
Are the upper branches angled upwards and the lower branches angled downwards?
Development of the branches
Do branches develop inside the culm sheath (intravaginal)?(Fig. 1i)
Do branches develop outside the culm sheath (extravaginal)? (Fig. 1h)
Do branches develop both intravaginal and extravaginal?
Number and arrangement (branch complement)
Do the nodes have single branches? (Fig. 3c)
Do the nodes have 2 sub-equal branches? (Fig. 3d)
Do the nodes have 3 or more sub-equal branches? (Fig. 3e, f, g)
Do the nodes have 1 dominant branch with further branches? (Fig. 3h, i)
Do the nodes have 1 dominant branch (sometimes remaining as a bud) with smaller subsidiary branches below or around it? (Fig. 3b)
Do the nodes have a fan-like arrangement without a central branch? (Fig. 3k)
Figure 3
Origin of the branches
Are the branches produced at the nodal line? (Fig. 3c, g, h)
Are the branches produced above the nodal line? (Fig. 3f)
Are the branches produced from a specialized process? (Fig. 3e, j, k)
Posture of the branches at node
Are the branches pressed closely against the culm? (Fig. 3f, k)
Are the branches positioned horizontally? (Fig. 3g)
Are the branches angled upwards? (Fig. 3c, d, h)
Are the branches angled downward? (Fig. 3i)
Occurrence of the spines
Are the branches developing spines? (Fig. 3i)
Identifying Bamboo Leaves
Figure 1
Habit of the leaves
Are the leaves stiff?
Do the leaves have many curves and bends?
Are the leaves positioned upright?
Are the leaves hanging down?
Color of the leaves
Do the leaves have the same color on both surfaces?
Are the leaves lighter on one surface than the other?
Do the leaves have varied colors?
Shape of the leaves
Are the leaves narrow shaped?
Are the leaves lance-shaped?
Size of the leaves
What is the average width and length of the leaves?
Vein structure
Do the leaves have a visible or invisible midrib?
How many lateral veins do the leaves have?
Do the leaves have cross veins?
Condition of the leaves after cutting
Are the leaves wilting or curling immediately?
Do the leaves remaining fresh?
Identifying Bamboo Inflorescence
Inflorescence habit
Are the flowering branches growing upright?
Are the flowering branches drooping?
Occurrence of inflorescence
Are the flowers terminating in leafy branches?
Are the flowers occurring throughout a leafless plant?
Inflorescence size
What is the length and width of the flowering branches?
Inflorescence color
Do the flowers have a green color?
Do the flowers have a purple color?
Are the flowers straw-colored?
For more information see this article about: Bamboo Flowering Habits
Identifying Bamboo Rhizomes
Figure 5
Length between culms and diameter
Are the rhizomes short and thick?
Are the rhizomes long and slender?
Rhizome habit
Are the rhizomes running underground?
Are the rhizomes running above ground?
Occurrence of buds on rhizomes neck
Are buds absent? (Fig. 5a, b)
Are buds present? (Fig. 5c, d)
Position of roots
Are roots occurring at the nodes only? (Fig. 5c, d)
Are roots occurring at random? (Fig. 5b)
For more information see this article about: Types of Bamboo Rhizomes
Image source: Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden, JSTOR
Is there a bamboo encyclopedia or database that has significant amount of information? Trying to identify some bamboo that I have, because I'm not exactly trusting the information where I got the bamboo from. Would like to compare data.