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Key characteristics

Family: Poaceae
Height: 24 to 36 inches
Width: 36 to 60 inches
Flower color: Insignificant greenish flowers rarely produced
Foliage color: Green leaves irregularly striped and streaked with creamy white
Bloom time: Rare and unpredictable flowering
Light: Partial shade to full shade
Water: Moderate
Maintenance: Moderate; spreading rhizomes may require containment and stems can be cut back in late winter to refresh growth
Growing zone: USDA zones 6 to 9
Wildlife: Provides shelter for small wildlife

Perennials

Sasaella masamuneana 'Albostriata'

White Striped Dwarf Bamboo

Sasaella masamuneana 'Albostriata' forms arching stems lined with elongated green leaves banded with creamy white striping that runs lengthwise along the blades. The variegated foliage creates a bright, layered canopy that remains attractive through the seasons. Flowering is rare, but when it occurs in summer, small grasslike blooms appear on slender stems before the plant returns to vegetative growth.

Originating in Japan, the species grows naturally in forested mountain regions where it spreads gradually by rhizomes.

Light

Partial shade to full shade

Water

Moderate

Bloom time

Rare and unpredictable flowering

Find this plant

Works well in

Borders
Shade Gardens
Woodland Gardens
Cut Flower Gardens

Companion plants

Hellebores · Japanese forest grass · Astilbes · Heucheras · Siberian bugloss · Sweet woodruff

Design tip

Use it as a steady framework plant, repeating it along a bed to tie separate plantings together. Keep it out of hot afternoon sun and layer it with woodland companions for a full, settled look.