Common Name:

General Information

Indosasa ingens is an evergreen bamboo that can grow around 2 - 6 metres tall; the erect, woody culms are around 30 - 50mm in diameter with thin-walled internodes 30 - 40cm long[, ]. The rhizomes are elongated, the plant having a running habit that can produce new canes some distance from the main clump, especially in warm climates.
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a food and source of materials

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

,

Range

E. Asia - southern China (southeast Yunnan)

Habitat

Streamsides; at elevations from 900 - 1,600 metres[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Evergreen Bamboo
Height	6.00 m
Pollinators	Wind
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

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[]

Edible Uses

Young shoots - harvested as they emerge from the soil[]. A bitter flavour[].

Medicinal

None known

Other Uses

The stems are used for weaving mats, baskets etc, and also for fencing[].

Propagation

Seed -

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