Phyllostachys Nuda - This is where I split from the pack in terms of hardiness ratings, as Nuda is usually listed as the hardiest Phyllostachys but that has not been my experience. It is possible that my cultivar has been misidentified but all physical traits support the Nuda descriptions. Perhaps this species is very slow to develop it's eventual hardiness as it was not until 5 years in the ground that mine wintered over without top kill. It surely does not like windy sites as leaf burn occurs at temperatures well above zero. The cultivar 'Localis' reportedly has dark blotches on the lower portion of the culms but this is not yet apparent on my young plant.
     As the elongating spring shoots are developing into culms, Nuda tends to be a very dark green, eventually fading to a gray-green with prominent white powder rings under the nodes. Best sited in full sun, I expect this bamboo to exceed 20 feet by 1 1/2 inch diameter in Zone 6. I have seen a mature Nuda grove in a warm Zone 6 and it has reached impressive size there - 30 feet by 2 inches - with extremely strong wood for utilization. Even this mature grove showed leaf burn while an adjacent grove of Phyllostachys Makinoi - rated as hardy to 0F - showed little leaf burn. I will keep my fingers crossed and an open mind about the 'potential' hardiness of this species and for this reason I will give Nuda an 'A' hardiness rating until more time has passed.

    UPDATE 2010: Slowly sizing up and earning more of my respect, this bamboo sustained serious leaf burn and moderate culm damage during the winter of 2008-09 where temps fell to -8F twice with very strong winds. In the spring of 2010 I am finally seeing a few new canes over an inch in diameter by about 18 feet tall.