Phyllostachys aureosulcata

Species of grass

Phyllostachys aureosulcata, the yellow groove bamboo, is a species of bamboo native to the Zhejiang Province of China. It is a running bamboo with a distinctive yellow stripe in the culm groove (or sulcus) that is often grown as an ornamental.

This bamboo grows to an expected height of 9 meters (35 feet) with a culm diameter of 4 cm (2.25 inches). The typical form of this species has dark green culms with a yellow groove.

This bamboo grows in areas ranging from subtropical to warm temperate and tolerates low winter temperatures better than most bamboos, being one of the hardiest bamboos in the genus Phyllostachys. Outside its natural range and areas where the coldest month has mean temperatures of below 4 °C (25 °F), the leaves of P. aureosulcata may not be evergreen and may turn beige and fall off. In areas with severely cold winters (USDA hardiness zone 5 or colder) in the northern parts of the US, northern Asia, and northern Europe, all growth above ground will die back every winter if temperatures remain below 18 °C (0 °F) for extended periods but will regrow in the spring to 1.8 to 2.4 meters (6 to 8 feet) tall. The all green cultivar 'Alata' is also known as "crookstem bamboo" due to its characteristic culm bends common to this species. The form aureocaulis has all yellow culms and the cultivar 'Lama Temple' has culms of a brighter yellow that taper more rapidly to a shorter overall height. 'Harbin' has green culms with multiple vertical ridges and irregular streaks of yellow. Culms of 'Harbin Inversa' appear yellow with many thin green streaks, while lacking the ridges characteristic of 'Harbin.' A sport of spectabilis called 'Argus' shares the same robust growth qualities and color as spectabilis but with additional green vertical stripes scattered around the whole circumference of each culm. In spring, yellow portions of new aureosulcata culms that receive direct sunlight during the early cool hours of the day can develop a red tint or magenta blush that lasts for a couple months.