A species of bamboo, Pleioblastus simonii. Botanical term; in everyday contexts, often just called 竹.
Medake is one of the native bamboo species in Japan.
Katakana spelling is common for this plant name; usually written in kana.
Kanji form using 女; rarely used in practice.
Kanji form using 雌; rarely used in practice.
The name メダケ likely derives from 雌 (め, female) + 竹 (たけ, bamboo), but the exact origin is uncertain.