Nandina domestica (Sacred Bamboo) proves that the familiar can often surprise us.
Nandina domestica is a common sight in Dubbo’s gardens. Its attractive foliage, hardiness and drought tolerance make this low maintenance plant a popular choice with local gardeners.
Contrary to its common name, it is not a type of bamboo. Nandina domestica is the sole member of the genus Nandina and belongs to the family Berberidaceae. It is native to eastern Asia.
Nandina domestica is an erect evergreen shrub up to 2 m tall by 1.5 m wide, with numerous, usually unbranched stems growing from ground level. Its attractive leaves progress through a range of colours as they age. The young leaves are bright pink, then green and finally red and purple before falling.
White clusters of flowers appear in early summer followed by small bright red berries in autumn which often persist through the winter. The Nandina domestica growing in the Sensory Gardens have an excellent show of berries at the moment.
It is very popular in Japan where many cultivars have been created. The scientific name is a corruption of the Japanese name “nan ten”.
Nan ten is homonymic with both difficulty and change giving rise to the belief that Nandina domestica can make misfortune disappear.
In Japanese gardens it may be planted near gates or at the north east corner, the “kimon”. Kimon means "demon gate," and is where the bad spirits may enter.
Visitors to the Dubbo Regional Botanic Garden will find that Nandina domestica has been planted near both of the gates of the Japanese Tea Garden.
Its association with difficulty and change may have been the reason the famous Zen master Nakahara NantenbÅ ( 1839 –1925) chose Nandina as the material for the stout staff he was notorious for using to "encourage" disciples during rigorous training; a ruthless reminder that lack of attention to detail can lead to a nasty surprise!
By Ian McAlister & Karen Hagan