Photo Courtesy: Marty Strenges

Malay Dwarf Bamboo

(see comments below concerning potentially confused use of this English name)

Bambusa glaucophylla Widjaja, Reinwardtia 11(2): 59. 1997

bam-BOOS-ah  glou-ko-PHIL-ah

Poaceae

Synonym: Bambusa variegata Hort. (a name of no botanical standing), not Bambusa variegata Miq. See comments on Bambusa heterostachya below.

Explanation of name: Bambu is an ancient name. Glaucophylla describes white-waxy (glaucous) leaf (phylla) surfaces.

Natural range: Java (INT)

Recognition: Small, 12’-15’ tall with canes 1’ in diameter, green and white-variegated, especially bushy, clumping species (BRO). The leaves are narrow with highly varied white stripes and bands.

Landscape uses (contributed by Marx Brosio, of Bamboo for You Nursery): This is one of the "dwarf" bamboos. It is very bushy with variegated leaves. It also will perform a little better in lower light conditions than most other bamboos. Malay Dwarf will top out at about 15 feet, with canes up to about an inch in diameter. Because of its dense foliage, this bamboo will make a beautiful hedge. With its white and green variegated leaves, it is also a very attractive ornamental, especially set off in the garden by darker foliage plants in the background.

Notes: A cluster of probably more or less synonymous cultivar names have accompanied the introduction of this recently named species. These include ‘Malay Dwarf’, ‘Malay Variegated’, and ‘Indonesian Variegated’. There may be confusion caused by the fact that the name ‘Malay Dwarf’ is applied to this species and to Bambusa heterostachya (Munro) Holttum, which is synonymous with Gigantochloa heterostachya Munro, Trans. Linn. Soc. 26. 1868. 25, based on cultivated material from Malacca on the Mayasian Peninsula (OHR). Although some growers regard Bambusa glaucophylla as synonymous with B. heterostachya, they are based on different original material from different places. Dr. E. Widjaja (WID, 1998), authority on Indonesian bamboos, listed these as separate species. Persons interested in the taxonomy surrounding the name B. heterostachya should consult Widjaja, E. A. 1987. A revision of Malesian Gigantochloa (Poaceae-Bambusoideae). Reinwardtia 10: 291-380. 1987.