Bambusa oldhamii
The size of the plant and of its bag can vary a little from the photograph — each one grows at its own pace. We keep them as consistent as we can.
Overview
A giant clumping bamboo that doesn't invade: its canes grow together in a compact clump instead of spreading across the land. It's native to southern China and Taiwan, where it's grown for its shoots, considered of the very highest quality. Its canes reach 6 to 16 meters and up to 9 cm across, and each new cane reaches its full height in its first year.
Culture
- Habit
- Evergreen Bamboo
- Height
- 6.00 m
- Pollinators
- Wind
- Cultivation Status
- Cultivated, Ornamental, Wild
It wants humus-rich soil in full sun or light shade, in a warm, humid climate; it tolerates brief, light frosts. Each year the clump sends up new canes, which grow at full speed and afterwards only add branches and leaves. Like all bamboos, it flowers very rarely, after many years, and flowering weakens it: if it flowers, let it recover and don't give it chemical fertilizer. Planting distance: 3–5 m.
Edible Uses
The young shoots, of excellent quality, are harvested just as they break the soil and are always eaten cooked.
Medicinal
No documented medicinal uses are known.
Traditional uses for information only. Not a substitute for advice from a health professional.
Agroforestry
A climax species of the high stratum, grown for timber: its canes serve for light structures, stakes and rural building, and the clump resprouts after each cut. Because it's a clumper, you can place it in the system without fear of it taking over.