Native to Japan, dwarf greenstripe bamboo is a low, running bamboo grown entirely for its narrow leaves striped in vivid yellow-to-cream over green — the variegation shows brightest in fuller sun. Unlike most bamboo it stays compact at 2 to 4 feet, making it usable as a container specimen, edging, or a strongly spreading groundcover where its running habit can be contained.
It's most attractive when cut all the way back to about 3 inches in early spring and allowed to reflush with fresh, brightly striped new leaves — old foliage fades and loses variegation over winter, so the hard prune resets the display each year rather than damaging the plant. Like other running bamboos it spreads by rhizome and benefits from a root barrier or contained bed if it needs to stay in bounds.