Differences between Bambusa textile ‘Gracilis’ and Bambusa tuldoides

Many bamboo enthusiasts, growers and homeowners, especially in the US, UK and Australia, have difficulty identifying the two bamboo plants.

However, there are reliable differences that you can use to identify the Slender Weaver’s Bamboo textilis from the more obvious Bambusa tuloides.

You do not have to wait until the bamboo are fully grown to tell them apart.

You can get more details about these two bamboo plants here.

Reliable differences between Bambusa textile ‘Gracilis’ and Bambusa tuldoides

Learn about the parts of a bamboo plant

Culm length Bamboo: 

Gracilis had elongated slender culms, whereas Bambusa Tuloides culms are relatively short and rounded around the nodes. One of the common Bambusa Tuloides bamboo plants is the Buddah's Belly Bamboo (Bambusa tuldoides Ventricosa)

Culm thickness: 

This is probably the most reliable difference, one is thinned-walled and the other is thick-walled. 

If you cut the culms, you’ll see that the cross-section of Bambusa textilis is thin whereas Bambusa tuloides are thick.

Bud & Branch: 

Bambusa textilis tends to have buds and branches high up the culms whereas Bambusa Tuloides will often have branches at the first node off the ground.

Culm sheath/auricle: 

Auricle (the point where a leaf meets the sheath) is a good part of the bamboo plant to identify the young Bambusa textilis from Bambusa tuloides. 

Though this is quite technical, it can be helpful. 

The auricle of the Bambusa textilis is asymmetric which simply means that the cross-sections are NOT identical. 

Whereas the cross-sections of the auricle of a Bambusa textilis are prominently symmetrical.

What's more, if you've inherited Bambusa textile ‘Gracilis’ or Bambusa tuldoides, you can use the differences to identify these two Bambusa plants.