Introduction to the Snake-shaped Lei Bamboo Variety and Its Main Characteristics

Recently, during a survey of Lei bamboo provenance, the forestry department of Lin'an City discovered a patch of "strange bamboo" with curved culms on a Lei bamboo hill in Chongyang Village, Jincheng Subdistrict. It was later identified by Professor Fang Wei of the Bamboo Department of Zhejiang Forestry College as a variant of Lei bamboo.

Recently, accompanied by the hill owner Jiang Changfu, we conducted an on-site survey on the hill. The area is about 10 mu, with more than 2,000 plants. The culms are mostly "S"-shaped, and the curvature of new culms is more pronounced than that of mother culms; the rhizomes are also uneven. The curved bamboo is monopodial and scattered, with culm height 2-6 m, circumference at eye level about 12 cm, and thick culms reaching 18 cm, internode length 15-20 cm, constricted culm rings, prominent internodes, smooth sheaths, reddish brown, accompanied by deep black patches. The thicker the shoot, the darker the sheath color, and there is not much difference from Lei shoots, so it was named "Snake-shaped Lei Bamboo" (scientific name, Phyllostachys var sp).

According to Jiang Changfu, the distribution of Snake-shaped Lei Bamboo is very limited. Only two or three mu are found at the foot of Bajiao Mountain in the neighboring Huangjin Village. He transplanted 17 plants during the plum rain season in 1998 and planted them on his own hill, then expanded year by year. In 6 years, the newly developed area reached more than 10 mu. According to his observations, planting "Snake-shaped Lei Bamboo" has three major advantages: First, shoots emerge early. Natural shoots emerge half a month earlier than Lei bamboo. This year, shoots were dug on January 22, and the first harvest was 30 kg of shoots. Second, the yield is high. According to his estimate, the yield per mu is about 10% higher than that of Lei bamboo, and the shoots are thick; this year the largest single shoot reached 3 kg. Third, it is ornamental. The culms of Snake-shaped Lei Bamboo are curved, and when planted in a courtyard, they look like a group of dragons dancing, very spectacular.

Snake-shaped Lei Bamboo grows shoots every year after the Spring Festival. It emerges early, has high yield and a high price, and everyone believes its development prospects are good. Snake-shaped Lei Bamboo combines edible and ornamental uses. Its appearance has not only increased the city's species resources of Lei bamboo, but also enriched the connotation of Lin'an bamboo culture, and it has great value for promotion.