Velvet Leaf Bamboo, Clumping Bamboo
Dendrocalamus brandesii
Family: Poaceae
What it is like
Sometimes misspelt as Dendrocalamus brandesii
Dendrocalamus brandesii is an evergreen Bamboo growing to 25 m (82ft) by 10 m (32ft) at a fast rate. See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 10. 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 alkaline soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It prefers moist soil.
Height (m): 25
Where it is found
Wet, evergreen tropical forest, at elevations up to 1,300 metres.
E. Asia - southern China, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Andamans.
Conservation Status: This taxon has not yet been assessed
Countries/locations it is found in
Origin: India: north-eastern part (Manipur), and Andaman Islands; Burma: from the Kachin hills to Tavoy (Tenasserim) up to 1,200 m altitude; Thailand: northern part at 1,000 - 1,300 m altitude; Laos; Vietnam: Tonkin; China: Yunnan at 380 - 1,900 m altitude.
How it is used
Food
Rating: 3
The young shoots are used as a vegetable.
Medicine
Rating: 0
Other
Rating: 4
The culms are used for building purposes, furniture, farm implements, baskets and other woven wares and handicrafts. This is one of the strongest and largest bamboos for construction purposes. Harvesting may start 3 - 4 years after a clump has begun to produce culms of maximum size. Only culms older than 3 years are harvestable and harvesting should never be done during the growing season. It is recommended to cut the culms lower than 30cm above the ground level, but not below the 2nd node. Debris and cut branches should always be removed completely. Carbon Farming - Industrial Crop: biomass. Other Systems: strip intercrop, multistrata.
Biomass: Provides a large quantity of plant material that can be converted into fuel etc.
Furniture: A few miscellaneous uses that do not fit easily into other headings.
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
A plant of the warm, moist tropics, where it can be cound at elevations up to 1,300 metres. The plant is frequently found on limestone, but it also grows well on well-drained loamy soils. 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. The young shoots of this species emerge above the soil during the rainy season and develop to their full height in 4 - 6 months. After that the lateral branches start to develop. A culm becomes mature in 3 - 4 years. 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. Very often, all the specimens of one species in a given area will all come into flowering at the same time. This species flowers sporadically as well as gregariously. Its life cycle is not known; in India an interval of 45 - 50 years between two gregarious flowerings has been reported. Climate: subtropical to tropical. Humidity: humid. Carbon Farming - Cultivation: minor global crop. Management: managed multistem.
Propagating it: Seed - many, if not all, members of this genus have a short viability and should be sown within 2 - 3 months of harvest. Sow in containers in a lightly shaded position and only just cover. Germination usually takes place readily. Prick out into individual pots as soon as the plants are large enough to handle. Plant out into permanent positions when 20cm tall. Plants may remain in their low-growing juvenile state for several years - cutting the culms to the ground level can stimulate taller adult growth. Rhizome, culm and branch cuttings. The propagules are raised in the nursery and after they have produced roots they are planted out in the field before or during the first half of the rainy season.
Best place to grow:
Habit: Bamboo
Hardiness: 9-10
Growth: Fast
Soil: Light (sandy), medium, heavy (clay)
Shade: No shade
Moisture: Moist
Things to keep in mind
Its other names
Local names
Dendrocalamus brandisii, Velvet Leaf Bamboo, Teddy Bear Bamboo, or Sweet Dragon Bamboo
Synonyms
Arundarbor brandisii (Munro) Kuntze. Bambusa brandisii Munro