Bambouseraie de Prafrance
Encyclopedia
Botanical garden
A botanical garden The terms botanic and botanical, and garden or gardens are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word botanic is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens. is a well-tended area displaying a wide range of plants labelled with their botanical names...
specializing in bamboo
Bamboo
Bamboo is a group of perennial evergreens in the true grass family Poaceae, subfamily Bambusoideae, tribe Bambuseae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family....
s, located in Générargues
Générargues
Générargues is a commune in the Gard department in southern France.-Population:-References:*...
, near Anduze
Anduze
Anduze is a commune in the Gard department in southern France.-Population:-References:*...
, Gard
Gard
Gard is a département located in southern France in the Languedoc-Roussillon region.The department is named after the River Gard, although the formerly Occitan name of the River Gard, Gardon, has been replacing the traditional French name in recent decades, even among French speakers.- History...
, Languedoc-Roussillon
Languedoc-Roussillon
Languedoc-Roussillon is one of the 27 regions of France. It comprises five departments, and borders the other French regions of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, Rhône-Alpes, Auvergne, Midi-Pyrénées on the one side, and Spain, Andorra and the Mediterranean sea on the other side.-Geography:The region is...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. It is open daily in the warmer months; an admission fee is charged.
The garden contains one of Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
's oldest bamboo
Bamboo
Bamboo is a group of perennial evergreens in the true grass family Poaceae, subfamily Bambusoideae, tribe Bambuseae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family....
collections, established in 1856 by amateur botanist Eugène Mazel (1828-1890), who had made his fortune in the spice trade, and who continued to build the collection until he encountered financial problems in 1890. Although the garden subsequently changed ownership several times, it has continued to be a showcase for bamboos, and today contains around 300 bamboo species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
and cultivar
Cultivar
A cultivar'Cultivar has two meanings as explained under Formal definition. When used in reference to a taxon, the word does not apply to an individual plant but to all those plants sharing the unique characteristics that define the cultivar. is a plant or group of plants selected for desirable...
s, as well as other plantings of Asiatic shrubs and trees, Gingko biloba, sequoia
Sequoia
Sequoia sempervirens is the sole living species of the genus Sequoia in the cypress family Cupressaceae . Common names include coast redwood, California redwood, and giant redwood. It is an evergreen, long-lived, monoecious tree living 12001800 years or more...
, Trachycarpus fortunei
Trachycarpus fortunei
Trachycarpus fortunei is a palm native to central China , south to northern Burma. It is a fan palm Trachycarpus fortunei (Chusan Palm, Windmill Palm or Chinese Windmill Palm; syn. Chamaerops fortunei Hook., T. wagnerianus Becc.) is a palm native to central China (Hubei southwards), south to...
, a replica of a Laotian
Laos
Laos Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ Sathalanalat Paxathipatai Paxaxon Lao, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic, is a landlocked country in Southeast Asia, bordered by Burma and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the south and Thailand to the west...
village, and some 5 km of water canals.
Bamboo collections
- Miniature bamboos (10-15 cm.) - Pleioblastus distichus, Pleioblastus fortunei, Pleioblastus pumilus, Pleioblastus pygmaeus, Pleioblastus viridistriatus, Pleioblastus viridistriatus "Chrysophyllus", Pleioblastus viridistriatuss "Vagans", Sasa admirabilis, Sasa masamuneana "Albostriata", Sasa masamuneana "Aureostriata", and Shibataea KumasacaShibataea kumasacaShibataea kumasaca, Common Name Ruscus Bamboo Or Ruscus-Leaf Bamboo, is a species of bamboo.-Japanese synonym:Two groups around the world have different beliefs about the correct name of this species. Some cite Japanese origins with the correct name being Shibataea kumasasa. Another groups refers...
.
- Small bamboos (1-3 meters) - Bambusa multiplex "Elegans", Chimonobambusa marmorea, Chimonobambusa marmorea "Variegata", Fargesia murielae, Fargesia murielae "Harewood", Fargesia murielae "Jumbo", F. murielae "Simba", Fargesia nitida, Fargesia robusta, Hibanobambusa tranquillans "Shiroshima", Pleioblastus chino "Elegantissimus", Pleioblastus shibuyanus "Tsuboï", Sasa latifolia, Sasa palmata "Nebulosa", Sasa tessellata, Sasa tsuboiana, Sasa veitchii, and Sinobambusa rubroligula.
- Medium bamboos (3-8 meters) - Arundinaria kunishii, Arundinaria anceps, Bambusa multiplex, Bambusa multiplex "Alphonse Karr", Bambusa multiplex "Golden goddess", Bambusa ventricosaBambusa ventricosaBambusa ventricosa is a species of bamboo which is native to Guangdong province in China. The species is widely cultivated in subtropical regions around the world for the bulbous and ornamental culms. The species is used in bonsai....
, Bambusa ventricosa "Kimmei", Chimonobambusa quadrangularis, Chimonobambusa quadrangularis "Tatejima", Chimonobambusa tumidissinoda, Chusquea coronalis, Hibanobambusa tranquillans, Himalayacalamus asper, Otatea acuminata, Phyllostachys arcana "Luteosulcata", Phyllostachys aureaPhyllostachys aureaPhyllostachys aurea is a bamboo species in the genus Phyllostachys native to China and introduced in Japan. It is also a garden ornamental, and the most commonly cultivated bamboo in the United States, where they grow very aggressively in the southern, warm and moist climates.-Vernacular...
, Phyllostachys aurea "Flavescens inversa", Phyllostachys aurea "Holochrysa", Phyllostachys aurea "Koi", Phyllostachys aureosulcataPhyllostachys aureosulcataPhyllostachys aureosulcata is a veryhardy running bamboo with adistinctive yellow stripe in the culmgroove that is oftengrown as an ornamental.-Description:This bamboo grows to an expected height of 9 meters with...
, Phyllostachys aureosulcata "Aureocaulis", Phyllostachys aureosulcata "Spectabilis", Phyllostachys bambusoides "Marliacea", Phyllostachys bambusoides "Subvariegata", Phyllostachys bissetii, Phyllostachys dulcis, Phyllostachys flexuosa, Phyllostachys glauca, Phyllostachys heterocladaPhyllostachys heterocladaAlso known as "Water Bamboo", Phyllostachys heteroclada is a running bamboo. The Water Bamboo name comes from the air canals in the rhizomes and roots that allow this bamboo to grow in more saturated conditions as compared to similar species. This species can also have abrupt kinks at the base of...
, Phyllostachys humilis, Phyllostachys manii, Phyllostachys meyeri, Phyllostachys nidularia, Phyllostachys nigraPhyllostachys nigraPhyllostachys nigra or black bamboo is a major Phyllostachys species of bamboo.-Uses:It is used for lumber, food, and musical instruments, among other things, in areas of China where it is native and worldwide. Unlike golden bamboo, it is not considered an invasive species in the United States. In...
, Phyllostachys nuda, Phyllostachys nuda "Localis", Phyllostachys pubescens "Heterocycla", Phyllostachys praecox, Phyllostachys praecox "Viridisulcata", Phyllostachys proprinqua, Phyllostachys rubromarginataPhyllostachys rubromarginataPhyllostachys rubromarginata, the red margin bamboo, is a species of Phyllostachys Bamboo, native to Central China, specifically Guangxi and Guizhou.-Name:...
, Pleioblastus gramineus, Pleioblastus hindsii, Pleioblastus linearis, Pseudosasa amabilis, Pseudosasa japonicaPseudosasa japonicaPseudosasa japonica, common names Arrow bamboo and Green onion bamboo, is a species of bamboo.-Distribution:This species is native to Japan in Honshu, Kyushu, and Shikoku, as well as Korea.-Further reading:...
, Pseudosasa japonica "Variegata", Pseudosasa japonica "Tsutsumiana", Semiarundinaria fastuosaSemiarundinaria fastuosaSemiarundinaria fastuosa, common names Narihira bamboo, Narihira cane, and Narihiradake, is a species of bamboo.-Further reading:*Huxley, A., ed. 1992. The new Royal Horticultural Society dictionary of gardening....
, Semiarundinaria makinoi, Semiarundinaria okuboi, Semiarundinaria yashadake "Kimmei", Sinobambusa tootsikSinobambusa tootsikSinobambusa tootsik, is a species of bamboo. It grows to a maximum height of 30 feet, with a maximum diameter of 1.5 inches. The culm sheaths are initially redbrown, and basally suboblong and leathery....
, Sinobambusa tootsik "Albovariegata", and Thamnocalamus tessellatus.
- Giant bamboos (8-28 meters) - Bambusa arundinacea, Bambusa oldhamiiBambusa oldhamiiBambusa oldhamii, known as giant timber bamboo or Oldham's bamboo, is a large species of bamboo originating from Taiwan. It is the most common and widely grown in the United States and has been introduced into cultivation around the world...
, Bambusa textilis, Bambusa vulgaris "Striata", Phyllostachys bambusoides, Phyllostachys bambusoides "Castillonis", Phyllostachys bambusoides "Castilloni inversa", Phyllostachys bambusoides "Holocrysa", Phyllostachys bambusoides "Tanakae", Phyllostachys edulis "Moso",Phyllostachys makinoi, Phyllostachys nigra "Boryana", Phyllostachys nigra "Henonis", Phyllostachys pubescens, Phyllostachys pubescens "Bicolor", Phyllostachys viridis "Mitis", Phyllostachys viridis "Sulfurea", Phyllostachys vivax, Phyllostachys vivax "Aureocaulis", Phyllostachys vivax "Huanvenzhu", Phyllostachys violascens, and Phyllostachys viridiglaucescens.