Poaceae

Tortoise shell bamboo

Phyllostachys edulis (Carrière) J.Houz.

Family: Poaceae
Genus: Phyllostachys

Pet and kid safety: not checked yet. Check pet-safe plants

Tortoise shell bamboo: w:Bamboo forest at w:Kamakura . possibly mosochiku — Photo: Kamakura, CC BY-SA 3.0, from Wikimedia Commons

Is yours looking unwell? Scan your plant — free

Common names

By language (10)

Catalan: Moso, Moso bambú
Chinese: 孟宗竹, 毛竹, 南竹, 江南竹, 茅茹竹, 貓兒竹, 貓頭竹, 刚竹
Czech: Listoklasec jedlý
English: Tortoise shell bamboo, Tortoiseshell bamboo
French: Bambou d'hiver, Bambou Moso
German: Moso-Bambus
Japanese: モウソウチク, ワセ竹, 孟宗竹, 孟宗筍, 江南竹
Korean: 죽순대
Portuguese: Mossô
Spanish: Bambu de invierno, Bambu Moso, Bambú de invierno, Bambú Moso, Phyllosthachys heterocycla, Phyllosthachys heterocycla var pubescens, Phyllosthachys heterocycla var. pubescens, Phyllosthachys pubescens

Synonyms

Bambos moosoo Siebold
Bambusa edulis Carrière
Bambusa heterocycla Carrière
Bambusa mitis Carrière
Bambusa pubescens Carrière
Bambusa pubescens Pradelle
Phyllostachys bicolor Crouzet
Phyllostachys edulis f. albovariegata Ohrnb.
Phyllostachys edulis f. aureostriata K.Ueda
Phyllostachys edulis f. aureovariegata (Uchida) Ohrnb.
Phyllostachys edulis f. bicolor (Nakai) M.J.Lai & D.Y.Hong
Phyllostachys edulis f. epruinosa G.H.Lai
Phyllostachys edulis f. gimmei (Muroi & Kasahara) Ohrnb.
Phyllostachys edulis f. gracilis C.S.Chao & Renvoize
Phyllostachys edulis f. heterocycla (Carrière) V.N.Vassil.
Phyllostachys edulis f. holochrysa (T.H.Wen) Ohrnb.
Phyllostachys edulis f. huamozhu (T.H.Wen) C.S.Chao & Renvoize
Phyllostachys edulis f. lutea (T.H.Wen) Ohrnb.
Phyllostachys edulis f. luteosulcata (T.H.Wen) C.S.Chao & Renvoize
Phyllostachys edulis f. nabeshimana (Muroi) C.S.Chao & Renvoize
Phyllostachys edulis f. obliguinoda (Z.P.Wang & N.X.Ma) Ohrnb.
Phyllostachys edulis f. obtusangula (S.Y.Wang) Ohrnb.
Phyllostachys edulis f. purpureoculmis P.X.Zhang, G.H.Lai & H.F.Zhang
Phyllostachys edulis f. purpureosulcata P.X.Zhang, G.H.Lai & H.F.Zhang
Phyllostachys edulis f. purpurescens (W.Y.Hsiung, Q.H.Dai & J.K.Liu) Ohrnb.
Phyllostachys edulis f. quadrangulata (S.Y.Wang) Ohrnb.
Phyllostachys edulis f. rigida (W.Y.Hsiung, Q.H.Dai & J.K.Liu) Ohrnb.
Phyllostachys edulis f. subconvexa I.Tsuboi
Phyllostachys edulis f. tubaeformis (S.Y.Wang) Ohrnb.
Phyllostachys edulis f. ventricosa (Z.P.Wang & N.X.Ma) Ohrnb.
Phyllostachys edulis f. venusta G.H.Lai
Phyllostachys edulis f. viridisulcata (T.H.Wen) C.S.Chao & Renvoize
Phyllostachys edulis var. heterocycla (Carrière) I.Tsuboi
Phyllostachys edulis var. heterocycla (Carrière) J.Houz.
Phyllostachys heterocycla (Carrière) Matsum.
Phyllostachys heterocycla f. anjiensis P.X.Zhang
Phyllostachys heterocycla f. aureovariegata (Uchida) Muroi
Phyllostachys heterocycla f. bicolor (Nakai) Muroi & Kasahara
Phyllostachys heterocycla f. epruinosa (X.H.Lai) T.P.Yi
Phyllostachys heterocycla f. gimmei Muroi & Kasahara

and 44 more.

Characteristics

Growth habit: Graminoid, Shrub
Lifespan: Perennial
In the US and Canada: Lower 48 states: introduced

Photos

Photo: Kamakura, CC BY-SA 3.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Wikimedia Commons contributor, CC BY-SA 3.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: John Cummings, CC BY-SA 3.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Daderot, CC0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Daderot, CC0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Daderot, CC0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Daderot, CC0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Daderot, CC0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Jules Verne Times Two, CC BY-SA 4.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Jules Verne Times Two, CC BY-SA 4.0, from Wikimedia Commons

More in Phyllostachys

Sources: classification, synonyms from World Flora Online Plant List (2026-06, CC0 1.0); common names, popularity from Wikidata (2026-10-26, CC0 1.0); common names, US characteristics from USDA PLANTS Database (2025-05-29, CC0 1.0). About our plant data.