Stems 2 to 6 ft high, 1⁄8 to 1⁄6 in. diameter, dark green, round; joints 2 to 51⁄2 in. apart, with several branches. Leaves 3 to 7 in. long, 1⁄2 to 1 in. broad, rounded at the base, rather abruptly tapered to a short, slender point, glabrous on both surfaces, minutely toothed at the margins. There is a tuft of long, silky hairs at the top of the leaf-sheath. Most of the leaves are quite green, but some are more or less striped with golden yellow like A. viridistriata. Secondary veins four to six each side the midrib.
Native of Japan; introduced in 1892, but a bamboo of no great attractiveness. The variegation is not abundant enough to give a colour effect, and the plant cannot be compared with A. viridistriata in this respect. It spreads rapidly by its underground rhizomes.