Beechey bamboo, Silk-ball bamboo
Bambusa beecheyana

Family: Poaceae

What it is like

A medium sized bamboo. It forms clumps. It grows 5-12 m tall. The stems are 10 cm across. The tips hang down. The internodes are 34-41 cm long. They have a white powdery coating when young. There are several branches.

There are about 120 Bambusa species. They are tropical and subtropical in Asia.

Where it is found

A tropical plant. It suits hardiness zones 9-12.

Countries/locations it is found in

Asia, Australia, China, Indochina, SE Asia, Taiwan, USA, Vietnam

How it is used for food

The shoots are cooked and eaten. They are slightly bitter.

It is commercially grown for bamboo shoots in southern China. They are also canned. It is a cultivated food plant.

Edible parts

Shoots

How it is grown

The soil should be mounded around the new shoots to exclude light and make them blanched so that they are not bitter.

Its other names

Local names

Synonyms

Sinocalamus beecheyanus (Munro) McClure; Sinocalamus beecheyanus var. pubescens P. F. Lei;