How do I know that I am getting Moso AKA Phyllostachys : eBay Guides

Well you may well ask yourself this question and it is a good question to ask about your bamboo plant.

Moso, is also known as phyllostachys edulis or phyllostachys pubescens and is one of the bamboo plants that is good for adverse, hardy conditions as it adapts well to extremes in temperatures over a long period.  As with any bamboo it can be difficult to guarantee what bamboo you are actually getting for your money.  So it is important to purchase your bamboo plant from a reputable garden centre,  where the staff can reassure you that you are getting what you it says on the label.

 If your plant is a young plant then it is a little more difficult to identify, in the late 1980's there was a young crop of plants that was produced from seed, that looked nothing like a phyllostachys however when it is mature the phyllostachys edulis or moso bamboo as it is better known is easy to identify.  The culms are a grey green colour which sometimes look almost pale blue are covered with a dense white powder when the bamboo culms first emerge.  These young bamboo culms are in contract to the oder smooth pale green culms.  The culm has sheaths which are darkish reddy brown and heavily spotted.  The leaves are small and on short branches.

 Phyllostachys Pubescens/ Edulis / Moso is a mardy plant to -20 deg c or -4 deg F, zone 6,  and enjoys full sun to light shade.  The average height is 4-20 metres which is 13-65 foot, and it takes it about 10 years to reach a spread of 1-5m or 3-16.5 ft.

**The bamboo culms have a maximum diameter of 18cm or 7 inches and the leaves are small in comparision to other phyllostachys bamboo species.