Bambusa tuldoides

Description

A densely tufted bamboo. The culm or stem is erect but nodding at the tip. They grow 6-10 m tall. The stems are 3-5 cm across at the base. The young stems are covered with white wax. The internodes are 30-36 cm long. The lowest 1 or 2 nodes have a ring of grey silky hairs above the sheath scar. The stems branch from the nodes. The leaf blade is sword shaped and 10-18 cm long by 1-2 cm wide. Flowering can start at 50 years of age. In China clumps usually die after flowering but in other locations plants can remain alive.

Edible Uses

Young shoots are edible. The young shoots have an average fresh weight of 938g before peeling, 137g after peeling; the edible portion is 15%. They have a bitter flavour, and are creamy and tender when cooked. The young shoots are harvested as they emerge from the soil.

Traditional Uses

Shoots are cooked and eaten.

This uses section is brief — help expand it

Medicinal Uses

Shavings of the culm cortex ('chuk yu') are used in Chinese medicine in the treatment of febrile diseases, haematuria, epistaxis and infantile epilepsy.

Distribution

A tropical plant. It can grow in subtropical conditions. It can tolerate frost down to -7°C. In tropical Asia it grows at low altitudes.

Where It Grows

Asia, Australia, Bangladesh, Brazil, Central America, China*, Colombia, Cuba, Ecuador, El Salvador, Europe, Honduras, India, Indochina, Indonesia, Japan, Laos, Malaysia, Mexico, Myanmar, Northeastern India, Philippines, Puerto Rico, SE Asia, Singapore, South America, Taiwan, Trinidad-Tobago, USA, Vietnam, West Indies,

Cultivation

It is grown from rhizome and culm cuttings. Tips of shoots from a clump are cut off and replanted. Whole culms can be planted and the separate shoots chopped off.

Propagation

Seed - surface sow in containers as soon as it is ripe, preferably at a temperature around 20°c. Do not allow the compost to dry out. Germination usually takes place fairly quickly so long as the seed is of good quality, though it can take 3 - 6 months. Prick out the seedlings into containers when they are large enough to handle and grow on in a lightly shaded place until large enough to plant out. Plants only flower at intervals of many years and so seed is rarely available. Division as new growth commences. Take divisions with at least three canes in the clump, trying to cause as little root disturbance to the main plant as possible. Grow them on in light shade in pots of a high fertility sandy medium. Mist the foliage regularly until plants are established. Plant them out into their permanent positions when a good root system has developed, which can take a year or more. Plants can be propagated vegetatively by rhizome, culm and branch cuttings. The propagules are raised in a nursery and after they have produced roots and developed rhizomes they are planted out in the field during the rainy season in pits filled with a mixture of compost and soil.

Other Uses

The culms are used for farm equipment and as punting poles and scaffolding. The split canes are used in weaving utensils and handicrafts. Plants can be grown to form an effective screen and hedge.

Production

A young fresh shoot has an average weight of 938 g before peeling and 137 g after peeling. Plants grow quickly.

Notes

There are about 120 Bambusa species. They are tropical and subtropical in Asia.

References (14)

• Anderson, E. F., 1993, Plants and people of the Golden Triangle. Dioscorides Press. p 203
• Arora, R. K., 2014, Diversity in Underutilized Plant Species - An Asia-Pacific Perspective. Bioversity International. p 36
• Burkill, I.H., 1966, A Dictionary of the Economic Products of the Malay Peninsula. Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Vol 1 (A-H) p 302
• Dransfield, S. & Widjaja, EA., 1995, Plant Resources of South East Asia. PROSEA No. 7 Bamboos. Leiden. p 72
• Hibbert, M., 2002, The Aussie Plant Finder 2002, Florilegium. p 37

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