QUESTION ABOUT BAMBOO SPECIES WITH DARK PLUM COLOURED RIND

[Dennis La Varenne]

Has anybody seen or heard of a species of bamboo which has a plum-coloured rind? I have an old static recurve here which has very thick bamboo limbs and dark plum-coloured rind.

I first thought it may have been a stain of some kind or even some kind of paint, but with some scratching and sanding of a safe area, it seems that the colour is natural.

Here is a pic of the bow which is 66" long and marked at 65#, but I think it may be even heavier. The old glue is giving way in a couple of places between the laminations, but that can be easily fixed. It looks not to have been used much if at all. There is no arrow-shelf or arrow pass and no sign of contact with arrows being shot from it.

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[greybeard]

I have not heard of plum coloured bamboo.

Perhaps if you contact Dernford Dart at Bamboo Australia he may be able to help you.

Daryl.

[morganp]

A very quick 'google' found a UK supplier http://www.jparkers.co.uk/plant-0005577 ... ed-bamboo/ because Google thinks I am over there, surely this would be available in Aus as well. A 'google' for red bamboo images found many:
https://www.google.com.au/search?q=red+ ... 66&bih=619

I have nandina variety that is red although it has too small a growth for bows (might be OK for arrows) and I have seen pics of blue https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/imag ... GDWIqiiYsw[/img] , purple, black and even red/yellow/green/purple stripes ... now that would be a flash bow!

[Dennis La Varenne]

Well, thank you morganp. Much obliged. Jeff Challacombe and I were looking the bow over just yesterday and he/I thought there was a hint of colourising by somebody, but after your post, there is no reason at all to think that it is a paint job at all. I am rather surprised at the existence of the stuff.

This bow is a real brute of a thing. It it is 65lbs I will be disappointed. Just bending it around your knee by holding the tips almost herniates you.