Phyllostachys bambusoides Castillonii Inversa - Giant Bamboo

Phyllostachys bambusoides 'Castillonii inversa' is a little-known giant bamboo despite its ornamental and spectacular appearance. This variety is the inverse or negative of the 'Castillonii' cultivar, its gigantic culms are very green and marked with yellow furrows. Taller and larger than 'Castillonii', it can reach impressive proportions in rich, cool soil in regions with hot summers.  Like 'Castillonii', its dark green evergreen foliage is slightly striated with cream and is dense. This very spreading variety is perfect for quickly forming a windbreak hedge or bamboo forest that is truly remarkable.                                               

Originally from China, Phyllostachys bambusoides belongs to the Poaceae family, it is a kind of giant woody grass. Reintroduced in France in 1980, the 'Castillonii Inversa' form was selected for its two-coloured culms and slightly variegated foliage, denser at the base than most giant bamboos. This variety can withstand freezes of around -12°C (10.4°F) prefers long hot summers, full sun, fertile and cool soil. It is a bamboo with superficial and very spreading rhizomes, capable of colonizing large areas over time. The plant produces straight and resistant culms that can reach 10cm (4in) in diameter and 12 to 15m (39 to 49ft) in height in our climates, depending on growing conditions. These culms are characterized by dark green nodes with a vertical yellow furrow, the green colour giving way to a more yellow shade when the culms are exposed to the sun. The evergreen leaves are dark green with slight cream to beige stripes. Narrow and lanceolate, 15 to 20cm (6 to 8in) long, they are densely clustered along the secondary culms that are implanted quite low on the culms.

Phyllostachys bambusoides 'Castillonii Inversa' is often planted as an isolated clump, in a grove or as an informal hedge. In a contemporary-style garden, it can be combined with certain palm trees and large ornamental grasses like Pennisetums, Deschampsias, or Miscanthus. It can be associated with other bamboos such as the 'Castillonii' variety, with yellow culms striped with green, but also with Phyllostachys aurea 'Holochrysa' or black bamboo, playing with the colours of the culms. Its young shoots are edible once boiled, and its culms, whose strength can be compared to that of steel, are often used as stakes or for the construction of pergolas and fences. Its very significant growth is not well suited for container cultivation.

Advice: Limit the spread of the spreading rhizomes of this bamboo by installing "anti-rhizome barriers" made of resin plates vertically in the ground from planting.

The flowering of Phyllostachys bambusoides 'Castillonii Inversa' has started. This will cause the withering and possibly the death of the planted subjects. That's why we have decided to temporarily stop the commercialization of this variety.