Contrasting Bamboo

The Los Angeles County Arboretum in Arcadia, CA, has grown various bamboo plants for more than 60 years, and it was in some of the Arboretum's forests that the early Tarzan movies were filmed. Bamboo's colors can change throughout its lifespan. Most new culms range from yellow-green to dark green. Some start out light green and turn yellow, while others start green and turn black. Other varieties have splotches or vertical stripes. Several clumping species have culms that start off green, then age to a brownish-black color with small green stripes.