Yellow groove bamboo

This bamboo grows to an expected height of 9 meters (30 feet) with a culm diameter of 4 cm (1.6 in). In areas where the average winter minimum temperature is above -15°C (5°F), it may grow to a maximum height of 14 meters (46 feet) with a diameter of 6.5 cm (2.6 in). The typical form of this species has dark green culms with a yellow groove. Culm sheath colors appear purple-green usually striped with yellow. Lower portions of the upright culms occasionally bend in a zigzag pattern.

This bamboo grows in areas ranging from subtropical to warm temperate and tolerates low winter temperatures better than most bamboos, being one of the hardiest bamboos in the genus Phyllostachys. Outside its natural range and areas where the coldest month has mean temperatures of below −4 °C (25 °F), the leaves of P. aureosulcata may not be evergreen and may turn beige and fall off. In areas with severely cold winters (USDA hardiness zone 5 or colder) in the northern parts of the US, northern Asia, and northern Europe, all growth above ground will die back every winter if temperatures remain below −18 °C (0 °F) for extended periods but will regrow in the spring to 1.8 to 2.4 meters (5.9 to 7.9 feet) tall. Phyllostachys aureosulcata is a popular bamboo in the warmer areas of the United States, Europe, Asia, and parts of Australia. In China it is cultivated and found in Beijing and the provinces Henan, Jiangsu and Zhejiang.