Saarela, J.M. 2007. The North American flowering of the cultivated fountain bamboo, Fargesia nitida (Poaceae: Bambusoideae), in Vancouver, BC. Davidsonia. 18(2):43-55

Fargesia nitida, the fountain bamboo, is a hardy and attractive bamboo that is commonly cultivated in North America. Because its reproductive structures were not known until recently, there have been several taxonomic issues with this species. Fargesia nitida began flowering in 1993 in the United Kingdom for the first time since its original collection in its native China in 1886, and it has since been expected to flower in North America. Here I document its recent flowering in Vancouver, British Columbia, and I provide a morphological description of flowering individuals of this species.