Bamboo grove

The Bamboo Collection is located near the Mediterranean pond and the Aquarium, an enchanting and evocative corner populated by large clumps of bamboo growing in the ground that rise over 10 metres high and form a curtain around the large pond.

There are various species of grasses (Poaceae) from the Bambusoideae subfamily, about 20 entities including species, subspecies and varieties (in the ground or in pots), some of which were introduced long ago and are exceptionally exuberant, with specimens that are over a century old.

Noteworthy in the Botanical Garden's collection are the Giant Bamboo (Dendrocalamus asper), the most monumental, with very fast growth, with greyish-green culms reaching diameters of 25-30 cm at the base, while the height reaches 20 m; the Common Bamboo (Bambusa vulgaris), including B. vulgaris “Vittata” with variegated culms.

The most represented genera are Dendrocalamus, Phyllostachys and Bambusa. Other species include: Phyllostachys vivax “Aureocaulis”, P. nigra, P. sulphurea, P. violascens, Bambusa ventricosa, B. oldhamii, Oxytenanthera nigrociliata, Semiarundinaria fastuosa, Pleioblastus linearis and Sasa palmata.

The bamboos are well acclimatised to the microclimate of the Botanical Garden and grow in proportion to the temperature and amount of water available. Among the species that show the fastest growth are Phyllostachys nigra and P. sulphurea, which can grow more than 20 cm per day.

The flowering of bamboo is considered a truly exceptional event, as it can occur at very long intervals, every 60-120 years, and is rare, lethal and gregarious, meaning that plants of the same species can flower all over the world at the same time.

The shoots of many species, such as Dendrocalamus asper, are edible.

Among the bamboo culms, you can see the Mediterranean pond with Egyptian papyrus (Cyperus papyrus).