矢竹 shi zhu

Arundinaria japonica Siebold & Zuccarini ex Steudel, Syn. Pl. Glumac. 1: 334. 1854; A. usawae Hayata; Pleioblastus usawae (Hayata) Ohki; Pseudosasa usawae (Hayata) Makino & Nemoto; Yadakeya japonica (Siebold & Zuccarini ex Steudel) Makino.

Culms erect or nodding, 1–3(–5) m tall, to 1.5 cm thick; internodes long, finely ridged, finely mottled, with light ring of wax below each node; nodes slightly raised; sheath scar large. Branches usually 1 per node, without basal buds or branches on that branch, sometimes rebranching from distal branch nodes. Culm sheaths persistent, to 25 cm, basally glabrous, distally appressed hispid; auricles and oral setae absent; blade erect, 2–5 cm, abaxially glabrous. Leaf sheaths glabrous, margins membranous, not ciliate, auricles absent or small, erect; oral setae scarce, erect, or lacking; ligule oblique, long, slightly pubescent, eroded; abaxial ligule glabrous to finely ciliate;blade abaxially light green to glaucous, adaxially dark green, 15–37 × 1.5–5 cm, glabrous; pseudopetiole glabrous. Spikelets curving, narrowly terete, 3.5–10 cm; florets 5–20(–25). Lemma 1.2–1.5 cm, glabrous, often with fine mucro ca. 2 mm; palea nearly equal to lemma, glabrous, keels finely ciliate. Inflorescence not known.

Yangtze River to Guangdong, Taiwan [Japan, Korea].

This species is cultivated as an ornamental. It is traditionally used for arrows in Japan.