Indosasa angustata
McClure
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President and Fellows of Harvard College
Description
A bamboo. It grows 14 m tall. The stems are 10 cm across. The internodes are 30-50 cm long. There are 3-6 leaves on the last branch. The leaf blades are 11-28 cm long by 2-5 cm wide.
Edible Uses
The shoots are eaten and are notably sweet.
Distribution
It is a tropical plant. It grows under evergreen trees in southern China.
Where It Grows
Asia, China, Indochina, SE Asia, Vietnam,
Cultivation
Indosasa species are native from the warm temperate to the tropical regions of southern China, Vietnam and Laos, usually at lower elevations. The climate is moist, with hot summers and short, mild to warm winters wth few, if any, frosts. They can generally be grown outdoors in hardiness zones 9 and higher, and with at least moderate levels of rainfall. Bamboos generally grow best in a sunny or moderately sunny position in a well-drained, fertile, open loam of reasonable quality with plenty of moisture in the growing season. Tropical bamboos have an interesting method of growth. New stems are usually produced in the rainly season, or at any ime of the year in some moist climates. Each stem will grow to its maximum height in the first few months, and any subsequent growth in the stem in future years is limited to the production of new side branches and leaves. Most bamboo species usually grow for many years without flowering. When they do finally flower it is not unusual for all the plants of that species in the region to also flower. Although some species just produce a few flowering stems each year (which die after flowwering, although the rest of the plant continues growing), in most species all of the stems will come into flower. They do so profusely over a period of 1 - 3 years and the whole plant will often then die, probably from exhaustion. Some species, if given plenty of organic matter at this time will gradually recover, although they will look rather poorly for a year or three. If fed with artificial NPK fertilizers at this time the plants are more likely to die. Bamboo species are usually notably resistant to honey fungus
Other Information
The shoots are sweet.
Also Known As
Vau dang
References (1)
- Van Sam, H. et al, 2008, Uses and Conservation of Plant Species in a National Park. A case study of Ben En, Vietnam. Economic Botany 62:574-593
