Bambusa multiplex 'Alphonse Karr' Bamboo - Alphonse Karr is a green striped yellow bamboo that forms dense large clumps. The culms are bright yellow with irregular, vertical, green stripes. New shoots are often tinted pink or red when exposed to high sunlight. Alphonse Karr makes a splendid hedge or colorful garden specimen. This is a most attractive clumping bamboo. Does well in pots, very popular, and a cinch to grow. Clumping Bamboo.

Bamboo is technically a grass which grows more rapidly than any other plant on the planet. New bamboo shoots can grow as much as 3 feet in one day. Bamboo has been most widely used for shelter, food, paper, jewelry, and clothes in Asia. Bamboo can be divided into two main categories: clumpers and runners. Clumpers tend to send out new shoots within a couple of feet of the clump each year. Runners, however, send out new shoots much farther from the original clump. Bamboo culms can be ten times stronger than steel. Bamboo plants like a lot of water, but they also need a well-drained soil. Bamboo is a symbol of long life, strength and versatility for many cultures of the world.