SASA PALMATA

Terrific Australian info & photo

 

Probable height in Southern California within 3 years = 3'

Probable ultimate height in Southern California = 4'

Height in habitat = 7'

Loses leaves around  0 to  10 degrees Fahrenheit.

Loses canes around  -10 to 0 degrees Fahrenheit.

Rhizomes die around  -40 to -30 degrees Fahrenheit.

If growing in the ground it prefers shade.

A running bamboo - rhizomes will run sideways in moist earth unless restrained with a root barrier.

Minimum soil depth required for a healthy plant = 6"

Unrestrained rhizome depth in moist soil = 12"

 

        Large (3" x 14") overlapping leaves, attractive rampantly vigorous pot plant or spreading groundcover, never seen over 4' high in Southern California.  Likes to grow in cool & partly or entirely shady locations which remind it of its native Japanese forest habitat where it grows up to 15' high.  In Pacific Northwest it gets 6' high in full sun & 12' high in moist shade.  Sasas do well in Southern California but not in Southern Florida.  Introduced into U.S. from Japan in 1889, where the large leaves are used for wrapping pastry & fish.  

        This is a terrific plant that should be tested for hardiness in the coldest parts of the world, using different amounts of mulch & different exposures to the sun. 

        Tim Meier in Wilmette, Illinois has a plant with an 8" mulch that stays evergreen down to -25 degrees F.   David Andrews in Maryland reports the plant evergreen down to 9 degrees F.

 

SASA PALMATA NEBULOSA

This is a bad name, regardless of Prafrance endorsement.  All our Sasa palmata have spots on the stems, so either our plants are all Sasa nebulosa or we have yet to see the true nebulosa.

 

SASA PALMATA TECTORIA

ABS SoCal reference collection contained one as of 12/92.