Awi Tela
Gigantochloa hasskarliana

Family: Poaceae

What it is like

Gigantochloa hasskarliana or Awi Tela is a clump-forming bamboo with short rhizome that usually grows in Southeast Asia. It is evergreen and perennial, and grows up to 6 m tall and 50 mm in diameter at the base. The leaves are narrow and sword-shaped. The young shoots are edible - eaten as a side dish or cooked in soups and stews. Awi Tela is also planted as a hedge, or to prevent soil erosion on steep hills. The erect canes are used in basketry. Awi Tela is propagated by seeds, division, or culm cuttings.

Gigantochloa hasskarliana is an evergreen Bamboo growing to 10 m (32ft) by 5 m (16ft) at a fast rate. See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 10. Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and prefers well-drained soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It prefers moist soil.

Height (m): 10

Where it is found

A plant of the lowland tropics. In Java it grows in the lower mountain forests. It is usually in slightly shady places.

E. Asia - Malaysia.

Conservation Status: This taxon has not yet been assessed

Countries/locations it is found in

Asia, India, Indochina, Indonesia, Laos, SE Asia,

How it is used

Food

Rating: 4

Young stem - cooked. Eaten as a side dish with rice, or cooked in soups and stews.Highly esteemed in Indonesia for their sweet flavourful qualities.

Stem: this often intergrades into leaves.

Medicine

Rating: 0

Other

Rating: 3

Agroforestry Uses: Planted extensively to prevent soil erosion on steep hills. Often planted as a hedge. Other Uses: The canes are used to make basketry. The canes are 5 - 6 metres long, 30 - 50 mm in diameter at the base, with a thin wall. Very dense with large leaves and slightly weeping culms. Good two-story screener. Its lush foliage gives an excellent tropical feel to even the smallest of gardens.

Basketry: Plant used in making baskets and other items such as chairs. Includes plants that are only used as an ornamental addition.

Biomass: Provides a large quantity of plant material that can be converted into fuel etc.

Hedge: Plants that can be grown as hedges.

Soil stabilization: Plants that can be grown in places such as sand dunes in order to prevent erosion by wind, water or other agents.

Wood: A list of the trees and shrubs that are noted for having useful wood.

Industrial Crop: Biomass: Three broad categories: bamboos, resprouting woody plants, and giant grasses. uses include: protein, materials (paper, building materials, fibers, biochar etc.), chemicals (biobased chemicals), energy - biofuels

Management: Managed Multistem: Regularly removing some multiple stems. A non-A non-destructive management systems maintaining the soil organic carbon.

Regional Crop: These crops have been domesticated and cultivated regionally but have not been adopted elsewhere and are typically not traded globally, Examples in this broad category include perennial cottons and many nuts and staple fruits.

Industrial Crop: Biomass: Three broad categories: bamboos, resprouting woody plants, and giant grasses. uses include: protein, materials (paper, building materials, fibers, biochar etc.), chemicals (biobased chemicals), energy - biofuels

Management: Managed Multistem: Regularly removing some multiple stems. A non-A non-destructive management systems maintaining the soil organic carbon.

Regional Crop: These crops have been domesticated and cultivated regionally but have not been adopted elsewhere and are typically not traded globally, Examples in this broad category include perennial cottons and many nuts and staple fruits.

Carbon Farming: Plants that can be a critical part of the solution to climate problems. The Carbon Farming Solution - Eric Toensmeier.

Food Forest: Plants for Edible Forest Gardens and Food Forests.

Hedge: Hedge

How it is grown

A plant of the lowland tropics, though it can be found at elevations up to 1,500 metres. It prefers humid conditions. Upright, slightly weeping, tight clumping. 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. 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. Prefers tropical or subtropical climates. Full sun to part shade.

Propagating it: Seed - Division. Culm cuttings. This method is mostly used for establishing hedges and for erosion control measures.

Best place to grow:

Habit: Bamboo

Hardiness: 10-12

Growth: Fast

Soil: Light (sandy), medium, heavy (clay)

Shade: Semi-shade, no shade

Moisture: Moist

Things to keep in mind

Its other names

Local names

Tela,

Synonyms

Schizostachyum hasskarlianum Kurz