Otatea
Mexican mourning bamboo ( Otatea acuminata )
Mourning bamboo ( Otatea ) is a genus of bamboo subtribes Guaduinae. The name comes from Otatea Otate, the term for bamboo in Nahuatl ( Aztec ).
Description and Use
Otatea species grow as loose, perennial clumps. They form short rhizomes. The woody stalks reach stature heights of 0.2 to 1 meter ( Otatea acuminata ssp. Aztecorum 'Dwarf ') up to 6 meters ( eg Otatea glauca ' Mayan Silver' ) and diameter less than 4 mm. The stalks are often hollow; the Halmscheiden are brownish and rough and dissolve with time. The species prefer sunny locations and tolerate temperatures up to just at the freezing point. The funeral bamboo species can be propagated by division or stem cuttings. They form ears.
Types and distribution
The bamboo species of the genus are from the mountainous areas of Central America and Mexico. The following types are known:
- Mexican mourning bamboo ( Otatea acuminata ( Munro ) CECalderón & Soderstr. ): With two ways: Otatea acuminata subsp. acuminata
- Otatea acuminata subsp. aztecorum ( McClure & E.W.Sm. ) R.Guzmán et al. ( Syn: .. Otatea aztecorum ( McClure & EWSm ) CECalderón & Soderstr )