"Black bamboo" isn't black from the beginning. It may take a few years for the black culms to develope. It is winter hardy to about zone 7. I do NOT get real die back of "nigra" in zone 7 so something else must be going on. (Most of my culms are green all winter--despite real cold.) Sorry, but don't know want is going on with yours. Are you sure it's "nigra" and not a much more tropical species?? Good luck!

While it is clearly a bamboo, to me it does not look like Black bamboo: the leaves are too fine, the culms are too close together, and the overall proportion is wrong. That's not to say that it isn't a pretty plant, but I suspect that it is a very tender tropical bamboo that keeps getting whacked by even your balmy winter temperatures. I have Ph. nigra in Zone 8 where it can get down to 15F occasionally, and it has never affected my clumps of Black bamboo in any way. Getting bamboo on eBay is always a crap shoot as a large number of the sellers don't know what they have.

B. lako was my first guess, but I never see the whitish powder on my lako.

However, the leaves and overall growth habit look like lako. How large are the leaves?

A close-up picture of the culms and newly emerging shoots would be very helpful for ID-ing it.

Kt

Thank you all,for your input. Kt, the leaves are the size of a human hand,the third picture is of the culms,unless you want a closer than that. There are no emerging shoot at the moment. I'll post one when it emerges. I like the plant but I would like to know what it is. I do believe that it is a tropical,also,Kudzu. I should have known better than to order it on eBay.
Some times is better to get 'boos from friends and people you know.
Thanks,again.
Felix

How tall is the plant in the pictures above?

I would still guess that it is a bambusa, but not sure which one, but it could also be a number of other clumpers.

Need a pic also of the 'black' culms.

Kt

Here are more pictures,taken,early this morning.
I hope this helps,Kt.
Felix
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countrynest-
I have two more id-related questions regarding things I can't determine from the pictures.

1. Do the culms have a sulcus, which is a groove that runs vertically between the nodes (rings)?
2. How many branches are at each node?

As for buying bamboo from eBay, you actually did quite well: it's alive and it looks like a desirable bamboo!

Kudzu,

1)The culms have no sulcus.
2)At each node there is one main branch,then about eight
smaller branches stemming from the same node.
I also forgot to tell you the height,as you previously
requested. I estimate it to be about 30 feet.
Thanks for your help and Kentuck and njoasis.
Felix

Felix-
Since it has no sulcus, it's not any kind of Phyllostachys. And because of the large number of branches, I'm thinking it may be some kind of bambusa, but not necessarily Bambusa lako -- a tropical black bamboo -- because of the proportions of the leaves (although I've been wrong before!).

The culms of B. lako come up green and turn black with age, but retain green stripes. This species is only hardy to about 25F and would likely suffer damage to the leaves and culms at or somewhat above freezing. Have the culms ever changed color for you or do they die off each winter before they've had a chance? For comparison to your plant, here are some pictures of B. lako...see what you think.

Here is a link that might be useful: B. lako

Kudzu,
It does not look like it is a B.Lako.
Mine has never had any stripes.
Some culms have turn a blotchy black,on mild winters,
but then we get a cold winter and they die.
When a new culm emerges I'll post a picture.
Felix

My opinion is that it is NOT B. lako judging from your recent pics.

Leaves are very thin for any bambusa that I've ever grown or seen.

The dark culms look like they are already dead, so not a black bamboo at all.

The leaves look similar, in all aspects, to my Thyrostachys siamensis, and vaguely similar to Dendrocalamus calostachyus.

The leaves in the first and third photos look familiar, but I can't place them.

I'll keep searching for an ID. Any other pics or measurements will again be helpful.
Whatever it is, I like it.

Kt

kentuck,
What you stated,"The dark culms look like they are already dead, so not a black bamboo at all.", I agree.
I looked up some pictures and information on
Thyrostachys siamensis,see the link. Those pictures show
some blotch dark culms that looked as mine did before dieing due to the cold. My culms grow tight as these and the hairy nodes in those pictures are similar but not as long. My leaves are not as fine as those on the pictures from this site.All in all,the Thyrostachys siamensis is the closest that I can see,so far,as what I have.
I also looked up Dendrocalamus calostachyus,as you mentioned but it did not look like it,in my opinion.
Felix

Here is a link that might be useful: Thyrostachys siamensis

It could very well be T. siamensis, since it isn't very cold hardy, but is a beautiful bamboo, and unlike most bambusas which are cold hardy well below freezing.

Post a pic of a newly emerging shoot when you see one, and we will know for sure.

Kt

Well,I had to wait all this time for an emerging culm.
We had a hard winter,here in central Florida.
I notice that the pictures that were above were deleted,not by me. I still have them in Phottobucket.
Here are pictures taken today. Not great but...
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Felix

Hmmm....interesting. I'll have to compare those pics to my siamensis when it shoots.

How large are/were those other culms?

Kt

The height,about 30 feet and two to three inches in diameter.
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I hope this pictures,help. They are from last season,the ones I previously posted.winter killed all the culms,to the ground.
I really appreciate all the help.
Felix