The Spiritual Nature of Plants

Bamboo is one of the eight essential elements of a Taoist garden. Each of these plants has a special meaning attached to them. The peach represents immortality. The water lily is for purity and truth. The peony is for love, marriage and fertility. The magnolia is for beauty and gentleness; the cherry for spring and youth; the chrysanthemum for long life, prosperity and contemplation; the plum for winter and female sexuality; and...of course BAMBOO.

The jointed sections of the straight stems of bamboo (the internodes) represent the steps along the path to enlightenment. In the formal Chinese garden, bamboo represents longevity and the ability to bend with the wind, and deal with the stresses of life.

During your next visit, take time to wander through our groves of bamboo. Listen to the music as the bamboo canes clack together on a windy day. Also wander up to our Henon bamboo grove and sit awhile on our bamboo bench. The feeling of being amidst the bamboo is magical and soothing.

Bamboo, or not a Bamboo? That is the Question!
What is in a name? Here's one, Carolus Linnaeus, also known as Carl Von Linne', the great naturalist of Sweden who founded the binomial system of naming plants and animals. This two-name system is that of genus and species which allows us to precisely refer to a specific plant (or animal).

The genus is grouped into families. For example: bamboo are the largest members of the grass family or graminacaea. There are many genera of bamboo. Bambusa, Fargesia, Indocalamus, Phyllostachys, Plieoblastus, Sasa and Yoshania are all bamboo families. Within each of these families can be found many species. Take for example, Phyllostachys aurea. The first name Phyllostachys (the genus) refers to many of our hardy bamboo. The second name, refers to a specific plant which in this case is aurea (the species), commonly known as Golden bamboo.

In the vast and wonderful world of plants we may often confuse the common name of a plant with a whole different group of plants. Due to the look and/or the growth habit of a plant, a common name of a similar plant may be attached when describing the plant. Most recently in our nursery experience we have heard much discussion about a little plant commonly called "Lucky Bamboo".

Although this plant is similar to bamboo in its segmented canes, with foliage sprouting at the joints, it is more likely one of two species of tropical plants that is native to west and tropical Africa. Dracaena deremsis or Dracena sanderiana are plants in the Agavae family--Agavaceae. Here in the Pacific Northwest they are frequently used as houseplants.

Another misleading name would be that of Heavenly Bamboo. It is reminiscent of true bamboo in its lightly branched, cane-like stems, with delicate fine-textured foliage. This member of the Barberry family , Berberidaceae, is defined by its botanical name, Nandina domestica. It is native to India, China, and Japan, but is not bamboo.

The worst of these misidentifications to come to our attention might be what is commonly called Broad Leaved Bamboo, Knotweed or Fleeceflower. It is botanically known as Polygonum cuspidatum or Polygonum japonicom, a proud member of the buckwheat family. This plant is often confused with bamboo due to the jointed stalks, branching at the nodes. The extremely invasive growth habit of this plant has gotten it our State Department of Agriculture's noxious weed list. This plant should not be sold, propagated, transplanted, or encouraged in any way. It is definitely not a bamboo.

Next Page:
Ornamental Grasses, A Touch of Water, Bamboo as a Houseplant

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