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This new Fargesia, formerly thought to be a form of nitida, is becoming known for the intense red color of the new culms. They then age to a mellow yellow (remember Donovan's cool song?). Unlike most other Fargesia, 'Jiuzhaigou' needs to be planted where it gets enough direct sun (preferably morning sun) to turn the culms red. Care must be taken in warmer climates or it will suffer from too much of the needed sun. The leaves, like many Fargesia, will curl in the sun but when the shade returns they will unfurl. The leaves are very small; among the smallest of any clumping bamboo, and are reddish at first, fading to a light green. It is also a fairly upright member the Fargesia genus, due the very small leaves not bearing much weight on the tops of the culms. This bamboo was collected in Jiuzhaigou Park in northern Sichuan, China by a German pharmacist named Stephan Wagner. It was brought back to Europe as a seedling in 1986, whereby it was gradually propagated and eventually made its way to the United States. Strikingly beautiful in the spring and fall. Leaves curl tightly during extreme weather of summer and winter. The colors are especially intense when grown in a container. Because this bamboo is so cold hardy, it makes a great container specimen.
Jiuzhaigou II is similar - it has slightly larger canes and leaves with a more "open" clump habit (more space between each culm), but is not as brightly colored.
We have several more forms of Jiuzhaigou:
Jiuzhaigou Genf (taller, with bright red color)
Jiuzhaigou 4 (dark color, short, compact)
Jiuzhaigou 9 (often the tallest Jiuzhaigou)
Jiuzhaigou 10 (Yellowish culms, taller than type)
