Common Name: Monastery Bamboo

General Information

Monastery bamboo is a perennial, evergreen, clumping bamboo with short rhizomes. In seasonal climates the plant is deciduous in the dry season[]. The erect culms are 7 - 13 metres long; 20 - 60mm in diameter; with the thick-walled internodes 15 - 30cm long.
One of the most useful of bamboos within its native range, it is widely utilized locally as a source of food and construction materials and is also sold to factories[]. The plant is cultivated in several countries outside its native range in Asia. This species is one of the most beautiful ornamental bamboos in the tropics of SE Asia, long cultivated in SE China[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

E. Asia - southern China, Myanmar, Thailand.

Habitat

River valleys to hilly forested areas; at elevations from 500 - 1,000 metres in southern China[]. Dry or semi-evergreen forest on poor soils[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Evergreen Bamboo
Height	10.00 m
Cultivation Status	Cultivated, Ornamental, Wild

Cultivation Details

A plant of the moist tropics where it is generally found at elevations from 300 - 400 metres[]. It grows best in areas where annual daytime annual temperatures are within the range 20 - 29°c, though it can tolerate 15 - 34°c[]. It prefers a mean annual rainfall of 1,000 - 2,000mm, but tolerates 600 - 4,500mm[]. It is found in areas both with and without a distinct dry season[].
Succeeds in full sun and in light shade[]. Prefers a heavy soil[]. Often found in poor soils in the wild, though it can tolerate a range of soils if they are well drained[]. Prefers a pH in the range 6 - 6.5, tolerating 5.5 - 7[].
Bamboos have an interesting method of growth. Each plant produces a number of new stems annually - these stems grow to their maximum height in their first year of growth, subsequent growth in the stem being limited to the production of new side branches and leaves. In the case of some mature tropical species the new stem could be as much as 30 metres tall, with daily increases in height of 30cm or more during their peak growth time. This makes them some of the fastest-growing species in the world[].
In natural populations the plant produces young shoots during the rainy season. Good years, when many new shoots are produced, alternate with poor years with many fewer new shoots[].
Generally, more shoots are produced if the rain is abundant[].
A clump is considered as good if it has 30 culms on average, but clumps may have up to 100 culms[].
In Thailand, a 3-year-old plantation, raised from seeds, produced on average 38 culms per clump with an average diameter of 14 - 23mm, of which 28 culms per clump were harvestable on average[].
Bamboos in general are usually monocarpic, living for many years before flowering, then flowering and seeding profusely for a period of 1 - 3 years before usually dying. Flowering is sporadic and gregarious. After flowering, the culms usually die. Gregarious flowering is rare and the flowering cycle is not known[].

Edible Uses

Young shoots - cooked and eaten as a vegetable[]. They are considered to be among the best of bamboo shoots[].

Medicinal

None known

Agroforestry Uses:

The plant is cultivated to provide a shelter from the wind[].
A closely spaced deep-rooting pioneer species, it can be used to provide permanent vegetation cover for soil
conservation and erosion control[].

Other Uses

The culms are light, strong and straight[]. They are used in house construction and for general household uses, as well as providing raw material for cottage industries[]. The culms are also widely used to make baskets, chopsticks, umbrella and broom handles, handicrafts, fishing rods and they serve as raw material for paper pulp and as fuel[].
This species is often used to produce umbrella handles for people of high rank and status, as well as for monks and priests[].
Once harvested, the culms are traditionally submerged for 10 - 20 days in running water to reduce starch and sugar contents, and subsequently cleaned, polished and dried. For furniture making, the culms are fire cured, which requires much skill to avoid damage[].

Propagation

Seed - when stored at room temperature, the seeds gradually lose viability over a period of 12 - 18 months[]. In cool storage at 2 - 4°c, good viability is retained for at least two years[]. The seed is best sown fresh, when it germinates within days, with 90 - 95% of the seeds sprouting[].
Rhizome cuttings. The cuttings are taken from 1-year-old culms and comprise a length of rhizome with roots plus a culm that can be up to 1 metre long. This is planted in a nursery for 2 - 3 months and then transplanted to the field in the rainy season. In general, 10 rhizome cuttings can be taken from a 5 - 6-year-old clump, retaining 4 - 5 one-year-old culms in the clump[].

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