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Pleioblastus simonii

Common name:	Medake	Family:	Gramineae
Author:	(Carriè re.)Nakai.	Botanical references:	11, 58, 200
Synonyms:	Nippocalamus simonii ((Carriè re.)Nakai.), Bambusa viridistriata (Regel.), Bambusa simonii (Carriè re.), Arundinaria simonii ((Carriè re.)Riviè re.& C.Riviè re.)
Known Hazards:	None known
Range:	E. Asia - China, Japan. Locally naturalized in Britain[50].
Habitat:	Not known
Edibility Rating (1-5):	3	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	0

Other Possible Synonyms:	From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below.
	Arundinaria auricoma[G] Arundinaria simonii var. heterophylla[G] Arundinaria simonii var. variegata[G] Arundinaria viridistriata[G] P. simonii f. variegatus[G] P. simonii var. heterophyllus[G] P. viridistriatus[G] Sasa auricoma[G]
Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	Simon Bamboo [B,P],
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Cyperales. Renamed to Poaceae -- Grass family

Physical Characteristics

An evergreen bamboo growing to 6m at a fast rate. It is hardy to zone 6. It is in leaf all year. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Wind. We rate it 3/5 for edibility and 0/5 for medicinal use.

The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It requires moist soil. The plant can tolerate maritime exposure.

Habitats and Possible Locations

Hedge, Woodland, Sunny Edge, Dappled Shade.

Edible Uses

Stem.

Young shoots - cooked[25, 61, 105]. They have a very bitter flavour, this bitterness is considerably reduced by changing the water at least once during the cooking process - though this will also remove quite a few of the nutrients[K]. The new shoots are about 20mm in diameter[K].

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

None known

Other Uses

Hedge Plant support Wood.

Canes are thin walled but extremely strong, they can be used as plant supports, also for fencing etc[25, 61, 74, 195]. Often used in China for making fan handles, poles and in various handicrafts[195].
Tolerant of maritime exposure and very hardy and vigorous, this plant makes a good screen or hedge[25, 166, 195].

Cultivation details

A very easily grown bamboo, it succeeds in most soils but prefers a good loamy soil in sun or semi-shade[1]. Dislikes drought[1]. Tolerates maritime exposure[166].
A very hardy plant, it can tolerate temperatures down to between -20 and -25° c.
The rootstock is running and very invasive[11, 25, 166]. Another report says that it is a vigorous grower but not invasive[195]. New shoots are produced from May[25].
The canes are harvested commercially for their many uses in Japan[195]. It is the third most commonly cultivated species in Japan[195].
This species is notably resistant to honey fungus[200].
Unlike many bamboos, this plant quite often flowers and sets viable seed, the plants do not usually die as a result of this[122]. However, if they are fed with artificial NPK fertilizers at this time they are far less likely to survive[122].

Propagation

Seed - if possible, surface sow the seed as soon as it is ripe in a greenhouse at about 20° c. Stored seed should be sown as soon as it is received. Do not allow the compost to dry out. Germination usually takes place fairly quickly so long as the seed is of good quality, though it can take 3 - 6 months. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and grow them on in a lightly shaded place in the greenhouse or cold frame until they are large enough to plant out, which could be a number of years. The plants only flower at intervals of several years and so seed is rarely available.
Division in spring as new growth commences. Very easy, single canes can be used. Pot them up in light shade in a greenhouse. Make sure the foliage is not allowed to dry out - misting 2 - 3 times a day for the first couple of weeks following divsion can be very helpful. Plant out in the summer once they are growing away strongly.

Suppliers

For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.

PFAF Web Pages

This plant is mentioned in the following web pages

Web References

[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.
[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database

References for Arundinaria simonii (a possible synonym).

[B] Data (Latin & Common names, other references) from the BONAP's Synonymized Checklist of the Vascular Flora of the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.

References for Arundinaria viridistriata (a possible synonym).

[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.

See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.

Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.

References

[K] Ken Fern
Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.

[1] F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).

[11] Bean. W. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Vol 1 - 4 and Supplement. Murray 1981
A classic with a wealth of information on the plants, but poor on pictures.

[25] Lawson. Bamboos. Faber 1968
Fairly comprehensive, it was once the standard work but is now rather dated. Deals with species hardy in Britain, giving cultivation details and some uses.

[50] ? Flora Europaea Cambridge University Press 1964
An immense work in 6 volumes (including the index). The standard reference flora for europe, it is very terse though and with very little extra information. Not for the casual reader.

[58] Ohwi. G. Flora of Japan. (English translation) Smithsonian Institution 1965
The standard work. Brilliant, but not for the casual reader.

[61] Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974 ISBN 0094579202
Forget the sexist title, this is one of the best books on the subject. Lists a very extensive range of useful plants from around the world with very brief details of the uses. Not for the casual reader.

[74] Komarov. V. L. Flora of the USSR. Israel Program for Scientific Translation 1968
An immense (25 or more large volumes) and not yet completed translation of the Russian flora. Full of information on plant uses and habitats but heavy going for casual readers.

[105] Tanaka. T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing 1976
The most comprehensive guide to edible plants I've come across. Only the briefest entry for each species, though, and some of the entries are more than a little dubious. Not for the casual reader.

[122] ? The Plantsman. Vol. 1. 1979 - 1980. Royal Horticultural Society 1979
Excerpts from the periodical giving cultivation details and other notes on some of the useful plants. A good article on the flowering of bamboos.

[166] Taylor. J. The Milder Garden. Dent 1990
A good book on plants that you didn't know could be grown outdoors in Britain.

[195] Farrelly. D. The Book of Bamboo Sierra Club. 1984 ISBN 0-87156-825-X
Very readable, giving lots of information on the uses of bamboos, both temperate and tropical.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

Readers Comments

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Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future - Species Database. Copyright (c) 1997-2003.
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