Common Bamboo
Bambusa vulgaris

Family: Poaceae

What it is like

Common bamboo or Bambusa vulgaris is a large, tropical, spineless bamboo that can grow up to 20 m tall and up to 10 cm across at the base. It has distinctive triangular culm sheath with hairy edges. Among all other bamboo species, common bamboo is one of the largest and most easily recognize. It has a wide range of uses. The young shoots are edible when cooked. The stems are used as treatment for rheumatism while the shoots are used against abscesses and malaria. The bark is astringent and used to stimulate blood flow in the pelvic area especially during menstruation. The leaves are used as treatment for heart problems and malaria as well. It is also boiled and used in bath to ease fever. Common bamboo is used in erosion control on sloping ground. The stems are used for light construction, handicrafts, and are a good source of fibre for papermaking.

Bambusa vulgaris is an evergreen Bamboo growing to 20 m (65ft) by 10 m (32ft) at a fast rate. See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 9 and is not frost tender. The flowers are pollinated by Wind. 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 and can grow in very acid and very alkaline soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It prefers moist soil. The plant can tolerates strong winds but not maritime exposure.

Height (m): 20

Where it is found

Riversides and open forests in Yunnan.

Northern and western S. America - Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, Colombia. Ecuador, Venezuela.

Conservation Status: Least Concern

Countries/locations it is found in

Found In: Africa, America, Asia, Australia, Burkina Faso, Burma, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Central Africa, Central African Republic, CAR, Central America, China, Congo, Costa Rica, Cote d'Ivoire, East Africa, East Timor, Fiji, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Guin?e, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Hawaii, India, Indochina, Indonesia, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Laos, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Mozambique, Myanmar, Nauru, Nepal, Nigeria, Northeastern India, Pacific, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, SE Asia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Southern Africa, South America, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Tanzania, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Tonga, Uganda, USA, Vanuatu, Vietnam, West Africa, Zambia.

How it is used

Food

Rating: 3

Edible portion: Shoots. Young shoots - cooked. They can be eaten with rice. The shoots are 5 - 9cm in diameter. A decoction of the growing point of the plant, mixed with the roots of Job's tears (Coix lacryma-jobi) gives a refreshing drink. The shoots remain buttercup yellow after cooking. Chemical composition of young shoots per 100 g edible portion: Water 88-90 g, Protein 1.8-2.6 g, Fat 4.1-7.2 g, Carbohydrates 0-0.4 g, Fibre 1.1-1.2 g, Ash 0.8-0.9 g, Ca 22.8-28.6 mg, P 27.5-37 mg, Fe 1.1-1.4 mg, Vitamin C 0-3.1 mg.

Drink: not including plant saps, tea or coffee substitutes.

Tea: the various herb teas that can be used in place of tea, plus the genuine article.

Medicine

Rating: 2

The stems are used as a remedy for rheumatism. The shoots are used to treat abscesses and malaria. The bark is astringent and emmenagogue. The leaves are used to treat heart problems and malaria. They are boiled and used in a bath to ease fevers. A decoction of boiled leaves is used by women as a 'clean-out' for dilation and curettage, and also to aid the expulsion of the afterbirth. The leaves are boiled as a hot tea, which induces profuse perspiration in treating a fever. The sap is used to treat fever and haematuria.

Antirheumatic: Treats rheumatism.

Astringent: Produces contraction in living tissue, reducing the flow of secretions and discharges of blood, mucus, diarrhoea etc.

Emmenagogue: Promotes or increases the menstrual flow. In early stages of pregnancy it can induce an abortion.

Febrifuge: Reduces fevers.

Malaria: Treats malaria - an acute febrile illness caused by Plasmodium parasites spread to people through the bites of mosquitos.

Other

Rating: 4

Other uses rating: High (4/5). Other Uses: The split stems are used for making brooms, fences, roofs, roof tiles, baskets etc. The acrid smoke produced from burning the stem is used as a mosquito repellent.The stems serve as poles to support banana plants.The working and machining properties of the stems are poor. The stems are not straight, not easy to split, and inflexible, but they are thick-walled and initially strong. The canes have a high starch content, making them more susceptible to powder post beetle and dry wood termite than many other bamboos (such as Dendrocalamus giganteus), therefore they are not normally used for long term constructions. They are used for light construction, fences, tool handles, handicrafts, irrigation pipes, lattices, bridges, housing, furniture, boat masts etc. They are a good source of pulp for making paper.The canes are used for fuel. Agroforestry Uses: Used for shelterbelts and erosion control on sloping ground and stream banks. Planted as a barrier and marker along boundaries.

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.

Broom: Used for sweeping the floor etc.

Fencing: Plants that can be used for fencing.

Fuel: Usually wood, plant materials that have been mentioned as being a good fuel.

Furniture: A few miscellaneous uses that do not fit easily into other headings.

Insecticide: Kills insects.

Paper: Related to the entry for Fibre, these plants have been specifically mentioned for paper making.

Pipes: For carrying water etc.

Plant support: Usually bamboos, used as canes in the garden for holding up plants.

Roofing: Used to give a waterproof roof to buildings. See also Thatching.

Shelterbelt: Wind resistant plants than can be grown to provide shelter in the garden etc.

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.

Minor Global Crop: These crops are already grown or traded around the world, but on a smaller scale than the global perennial staple and industrial crops, The annual value of a minor global crop is under $1 billion US. Examples include shea, carob, Brazil nuts and fibers such as ramie and sisal.

Other Systems: Multistrata: Multistrata agroforests feature multiple layers of trees often with herbaceous perennials, annual crops, and livestock.

Other Systems: Strip intercrop: Tree crops grown in rows with alternating annual crops.

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.

Minor Global Crop: These crops are already grown or traded around the world, but on a smaller scale than the global perennial staple and industrial crops, The annual value of a minor global crop is under $1 billion US. Examples include shea, carob, Brazil nuts and fibers such as ramie and sisal.

Other Systems: Multistrata: Multistrata agroforests feature multiple layers of trees often with herbaceous perennials, annual crops, and livestock.

Other Systems: Strip intercrop: Tree crops grown in rows with alternating annual crops.

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.

How it is grown

Common bamboo is a plant of the moist, lowland tropics. It grows best in areas where annual daytime temperatures are within the range 22 - 28c, but can tolerate 9 - 32c. The stems die back to the ground if exposed to frost, but if the frost was not too severe the plant may resprout from the rhizomes. It prefers a mean annual rainfall in the range 1,200 - 2,500mm, but tolerates 700 - 4,500mm. Requires a moist, fertile, humus rich soil in full sun or dappled shade in warm humid conditions. Prefers a pH in the range 5 - 6, tolerating 4.5 - 6.5. Widely grown throughout the tropics for its many uses and as an ornamental, the plant sometimes escapes from cultivation and becomes naturalized. It forms extensive monospecific stands, excluding other plant species. It is classified as 'Invasive' in some Pacific Islands. Harvesting normally starts 3 years after planting with full production being reached after 6 - 8 years. Selective cutting of stems 2-year-old or older is recommended. In tropical Africa it has been recommended to selectively harvest one half to two-thirds of the adult stems on a clump every 3 - 4 years. Young shoots for consumption should be harvested in the first week of their emergence. Annual yields of up to 20 tonnes (dry weight) of the canes per hectare have been achieved. 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. Flowering is uncommon in Bambusa vulgaris. When a stem flowers, it produces a large number of flowers, but no fruits. Low pollen viability due to irregular meiosis seems to be one of the reasons for the absence of fruiting. Eventually the stem dies, but the clump usually survives. Production: Offsets can produce mature clumps in 7 years. They grow very quickly. Haulms can grow 4 m high in 2 weeks. Bambusa vulgaris 'Wamin' - Dwarf Buddha Belly Bamboo is a dwarf bamboo perfect by a pond but will fit just about any landscape. Swollen attractive internodes to 3m. USDA zone 9-12.

Propagating it: Seed - surface sow in containers as soon as it is ripe, preferably at a temperature around 20c. Do not allow the compost to dry out. Germination usually takes place fairly quickly so long as the seed is of good quality, though it can take 3 - 6 months. Prick out the seedlings into containers when they are large enough to handle and grow on in a lightly shaded place until large enough to plant out. Plants only flower at intervals of many years and so seed is rarely available. Division as new growth commences. Take divisions with at least three canes in the clump, trying to cause as little root disturbance to the main plant as possible. Grow them on in light shade in pots of a high fertility sandy medium. Mist the foliage regularly until plants are established. Plant them out into their permanent positions when a good root system has developed, which can take a year or more.

Best place to grow:

Habit: Bamboo

Hardiness: 9-12

Growth: Fast

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

Shade: Semi-shade, no shade

Moisture: Moist

Things to keep in mind

Culms and branches root very readily, it naturalizes forming monospecific stands along river banks, roadsides and in open ground. B. vulgaris has the potential to invade relative unaltered forests moving along streams.

Its other names

Local names

Common bamboo or Bambusa vulgaris. Other Names: Awi ampel, Bamboo, Bambu kuning, Buloh kuning, Buloh minyak, Daisan-chiku, Domar, Jajang ampel, Jajang gading, Kabaloan, Kauayan-kiling, Murangi, Pai mai, Pau, Phai-bongkham, Phai-luang, Po-o, Pring ampel, Pring legi, Pring tutul, Russei kaew, S'ang kh'am, Tamelang, Wanet.

Synonyms

Arundarbor blancoi (Steud.) Kuntze Arundarbor fera (Oken) Kuntze Arundarbor monogyna (Blanco) Kuntze