Arrow bamboo

Description

Pseudosasa japonica, the arrow bamboo or metake, is a species of flowering plant in the grass family Poaceae, native to Japan and Korea. This vigorous bamboo forms thickets up to 6 m (20 ft) tall with shiny leaves up to 25 cm (9.8 in) long. The culms are typically yellow-brown and it has palm-like leaves. The common name "arrow bamboo" results from the Japanese Samurai using its hard and stiff canes for their arrows. It grows up to 4 cm(40mm) a day. This cold hardy bamboo species (tolerant to 0 °F/−17.7 °C) grows well both in shade and full sun. Pseudosasa japonica does very well in containers and salty air near the ocean. Because it tends to be more shade tolerant than other bamboo species it is often used by gardeners as an understory to a tree-lined living fence. In cultivation in the UK this species has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit. Pseudosasa is a genus of East Asian bamboo in the grass family. These species are small to medium running plants, usually with one branch at a node. Its name comes from its resemblance to the genus Sasa. The species are native to China, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam, with a few species sparingly naturalized in various other regions (western Europe, North Africa, North America, New Zealand, etc.