イネ科ササ属のササ類で、学名は Sasa veitchii (syn. Sasa veitchii var. veitchii)。英名は Kuma bamboo grass、Veitch's bamboo。
The Kuma bamboo grass (Sasa veitchii) belongs to Poaceae (the Grass family). It is a shrubby bamboo that is probably native to northern Kyoto City of Hanshu. Nowadays, this bamboo is usually planted in many places of Japan, and crucial for Japanese gardens. The culms can reach about 1 m in height, and they are few-branched. The leaves are broad oblong and the both sides of leaves are glabrous. The Japanese name is derived that its leaf-edge turns to white stripe in winter. The leaves have antiseptic property and antiseptic activity, and they are used as a medicine.