Black bamboo
Phyllostachys nigra (Loddiges) Munro var. nigra [Poaceae]
Kurochiku (クロチク, 黒竹)
Lifeform: evergreen bamboo < 4 m high
Distribution: Native to China (imported to Japan)
Habitat: sunny sites with moist soil
Shoot: young shoot is green, and well-developed shoot is black due to the accumulation of melanin induced by solar radiation
Use: for fishing rods, unique furnishing, etc.
Varieties
var. henonis (Bean) Stapf. (ハチク)
Phyllostachys nigra in Japan
[Left] a black shoot. [Center] leaves. [Right] close-up of a shoot. At a greenhouse in Yurigahara Park, Sapporo, on March 13 2011.