Fargesia dracocephala

Summary

Fargesia dracocephala is a woody bamboo native to central China. It is known in Chinese as longtou jianzhu (Chinese: 龙头箭竹; pinyin: lóngtóujiǎnzhú), meaning dragon head Fargesia. The scientific name is derived from Ancient Greek and has the same meaning. It is found at high elevations in the south of Gansu, western Hubei, southern Shaanxi and northern Sichuan. The plant is a significant source of food for the giant panda.[1]

Fargesia dracocephala
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Clade: Commelinids
Order: Poales
Family: Poaceae
Genus: Fargesia
Species:
F. dracocephala
Binomial name
Fargesia dracocephala
T.P.Yi

There is a bamboo cultivated in the west sold under the same name, but it is actually a recently described species, namely Fargesia apicirubens. Confusingly, the most common cultivar of F. dracocephala is sometimes sold in the west under the name Fargesia rufa, which is a different species. When properly designated, it appears as Fargesia 'Rufa'.[2]

References edit

  1. ^ Li, De-Zhu; Guo, Zhenhua; Stapleton, Chris (2007), "Fargesia dracocephala", in Wu, Z. Y.; Raven, P.H.; Hong, D.Y. (ed.), Flora of China, vol. 22, Beijing: Science Press; St. Louis: Missouri Botanical Garden Press, p. 93{{citation}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  2. ^ Stapleton, Chris, Dragon’s Head Bamboo: Fargesia dracocephala, retrieved 2007-10-06