Himalayacalamus fortunei

RHS Plant Profile

Fortune's bamboo

Dorling Kindersley Ltd

Bamboos

A slow-growing, tall bamboo. It eventually forms dense clumps of mid green to yellow glossy canes with slender pale green leaves

Position

Partial shade

Soil Types

Chalk, Loam, Sand

Max Height

4-8 metres

Max Spread

2.5-4 metres

Size

Time to Maturity: 10–20 years
Max Spread: 2.5-4 metres
Max Height: 4-8 metres

Growing Conditions

Chalk Loam Sand

Moisture: Well–drained
pH: Acid or Alkaline or Neutral

Position

Partial shade

Aspect: North–facing or East–facing
Exposure: Sheltered
Hardiness

Hardiness Ratings

All ratings refer to the UK growing conditions unless otherwise stated. Minimum temperature ranges (in degrees C) are shown in brackets

H1A: under glass all year (>15C)
H1B: can be grown outside in the summer (10 - 15)
H1C: can be grown outside in the summer (5 - 10)
H2: tolerant of low temperatures, but not surviving being frozen (1 to 5)
H3: hardy in coastal and relatively mild parts of the UK (-5 to 1)
H4: hardy through most of the UK (-10 to -5)
H5: hardy in most places throughout the UK even in severe winters (-15 to -10)
H6: hardy in all of UK and northern Europe (-20 to -15)
H7: hardy in the severest European continental climates (< -20): H4

Colour & Scent

Season	Stem	Flower	Foliage	Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Botanical Details

Family: Poaceae
Native to GB/Ireland: No
Foliage: Deciduous
Habit: Columnar upright
Genus: Himalayacalamus are clump-forming bamboos with hollow, glossy, sometimes attractively-striped or stained canes and glaucous green leaves
Name Status: Unresolved

How to Grow

Cultivation

Grow in any well-drained soil in part shade to protect delicate foliage from sun scorch, with shelter from cold winds, in milder parts of the country. Intolerant of winter wet and temperatures below -6°C so best grown in containers in frost free conditions in colder areas

Propagation

Propagate by division in spring

Suggested planting locations and garden types

Architectural

Pruning

No pruning necessary but cut out any canes damaged during winter or to thin, during spring

Pests

May be susceptible to aphids

Diseases

Generally disease-free