Sasa nipponica

(Makino) Makino & Shibata

Miyako-zasa

Poaceae Edible: Seeds, Cereal 17 iNaturalist observations

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Summary

Sasa nipponica is a species of flowering plant in the family Poaceae. It is native to Japan.

Description

A compact evergreen bamboo reaching 0.8 m tall with evergreen foliage throughout the year. Hermaphroditic flowers are wind-pollinated. Hardy to UK zone 7. Adapts to sandy, loamy, and clay soils with mildly acidic to basic pH. Grows in semi-shade and needs consistently moist soil.

Edible Uses

Young shoots are cooked and are so popular in Japan that a license is required to collect them. The seed is used as a cereal grain, though it is only produced at intervals of many years.

Medicinal Uses

None known.

Distribution

It is a temperate plant.

Where It Grows

Asia, Japan,

Propagation

Surface sow seed as soon as it is ripe in a greenhouse at about 20°C, or sow stored seed as soon as it is received. Keep the compost moist. Germination is usually fairly quick in good-quality seed, though it may take 3–6 months. Prick seedlings into individual pots when large enough and grow on in light shade in the greenhouse until big enough to plant out, which may take several years. Seed is rarely available as plants only flower at intervals of several years. For division, work in late spring as new growth begins. Take large divisions with minimal root disturbance to the main clump and grow on in light shade in a greenhouse in pots of high-fertility sandy medium. Mist the foliage regularly until established, then plant out once a good root system has formed, which can take a year or more. Divisions of fewer than 5–6 culms rarely succeed.

Other Uses

None known.

References (2)

http://www.plantnames.unimelb.edu.au/sorting/Bamboos_Edible.html
Plants for a Future database, The Field, Penpol, Lostwithiel, Cornwall, PL22 0NG, UK. http://www.scs.leeds.ac.uk/pfaf/