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Phyllostachys nigra

species of plant

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Science and natureInterpretive dossier study · Crown Archives visual atlas
Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionJul 7, 2026
Entity authorityQ983798 ↗
Source-derived summary

Phyllostachys nigra, commonly known as black bamboo or purple bamboo (Chinese: 紫竹), is a species of bamboo, native to Hunan Province of China, and is widely cultivated elsewhere.

Growing up to 10 meters (35 ft) tall by 5cm (2 in) wide, it forms clumps of slender arching canes which turn black after two or three seasons. The abundant lance-shaped leaves are 4–13 cm (2–5 in) long.

Numerous forms and cultivars are available for garden use. The species and the form P. nigra f. henonis have both gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit. The form henonis is also known as Henon bamboo and as cultivar 'Henon'.

Life cycle

Like many species of bamboo, black bamboo synchronizes its flowering, with flowering events happening every 40-120 years. According to one source, it has bloomed every 120 years "since records have been kept". It is monocarpic, that is, after flowering, the plants die.

Editorial summary

“Phyllostachys nigra” enters the record as species of plant. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Phyllostachys, nigra and species can confirm, complicate or overturn.

Editorial reviewA practical orientation to terminology and classification, particularly when read beside dated observations, specimens or technical literature. The current 152-word lead offers orientation but no explicit four-digit date, so chronology should not be assumed. The selected authority fields contribute no independent date. Its strongest next move is a source search built around Phyllostachys, nigra and species.
Editorial analysis

Why this record matters

“Phyllostachys nigra” is worth following because a concise public description often conceals a longer documentary argument. Here, Phyllostachys, nigra and species provides the most credible route into that argument.

Evidence profile

Datasets, specimens, observations and peer-reviewed methods provide the appropriate test for the technical claims summarized here. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jul 7, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q983798. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference.

Critical limits

Current terminology should not be projected backward without checking the classification used when the underlying evidence was created. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.

How to read it

Check terminology, classification and the date of the cited evidence. Scientific names and technical consensus can change while older records retain historical value.

Best used for
  • Current terminology
  • Classification context
  • Finding cited technical literature
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Primary datasets, specimen catalogues, standards bodies and the most recent peer-reviewed literature.

Three-step research path

  1. Establish the record: confirm the title “Phyllostachys nigra”, its source revision and the description used here.
  2. Expand the search: follow Phyllostachys nigra primary sources, Phyllostachys nigra archive and Phyllostachys research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
  3. Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.

Questions for further research

  1. Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Phyllostachys nigra”?
  2. Is the terminology current, historical or disputed?
  3. Has classification or technical consensus changed since the cited source?
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Source & attribution

This entry incorporates text from “Phyllostachys nigra” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.