Simultaneous flowering of umbrella bamboo (Fargesia murieliae) at its native home in Central China

Abstract

Flowering pattern and seedling establishment of umbrella bamboo (Fargesia murieliae (Gamble) Yi) were studied in its native habitat, Mount Shennongjia in Central China. Here in 1996–2000, over 95% of the bamboo plants simultaneously flowered and died, extending from lower elevations to the higher mountains along the altitude and from southwest to northeast along the mountain settings. Bamboo seedlings emerged after the simultaneous flowering, achieving an average density of 5 460 seedlings· m−2 in the autumn of the year following the flowering. After a high mortality throughout the first winter, bamboo seedlings remained a stable density in following 2–4 years (1130–1230 seedlings· m−2). Seedling density positively related to the coverage of parent bamboo, but negatively to the herb layers.