Phyllostachys edulis: The Perfect Bamboo for Your Garden

If you’re looking for a beautiful and versatile bamboo to add to your garden, look no further than Phyllostachys edulis! This bamboo is perfect for any landscape, and it can be used in a variety of ways. Keep reading to learn more about this amazing bamboo species!

Phyllostachys Edulis

Phyllostachys edulis, or moso bamboo, is the only hardy giant bamboo. It is one of those fast-growing species that can grow 1 meter in 24 hours in its habitat.

Though it is a giant bamboo that can reach over 20 meters high, it usually doesn’t get this big in colder climates: 7-8 meters in about 15 years if well-watered and fed. The strain is important as well: offspring from hardy specimens are usually equally hardy. So be sure to select seeds or shoots from plants with proven hardiness.

It is also important to know that it might take more than 10 years before you get a decent height that qualifies as a giant. As a rule of thumb: plenty of fertilizer, plenty of water, and a nice warm spot will encourage growth. Phyllostachys edulis is an impressive plant that is well worth the wait for those who want to add a bit of wow-factor to their garden.

Important Remark

The Phyllostachys Edulis, more commonly known as the moso bamboo, is a species of bamboo native to China. Growing up to 60 feet tall, this fast-growing plant is often used in landscaping and construction due to its strength and flexibility.

However, the Phyllostachys Edulis can also be very invasive, spreading easily by seed and its running rhizome. If left unchecked, it can quickly overrun a garden or yard, damaging other plants and disrupting the natural ecosystem.

To prevent this, it is important to regularly prune the moso bamboo’s rhizomes and install a rhizome barrier if necessary. With proper care and management, the Phyllostachys Edulis can be a beautiful and useful addition to any landscape.

Phyllostachys Edulis – Description

Phyllostachys Edulis, more commonly known as the Moso bamboo, is an evergreen that grows rapidly. It is a running bamboo, meaning that it can quickly spread through an area via its shallow roots system. The culms, or stalks, of the plant, can grow up to 20 meters tall and 40 centimeters in diameter.

They are blue-green when young but turn yellow with age. The internodes, or spaces between the nodes (where branches emerge), are typically about 40 centimeters long but can be shorter and swollen nearer to the base of the culm. The nodal ridge, which is the raised portion of the node running longitudinally along the culm, is not very pronounced unless the node bears branches.

A newly emerged node, there is a white powdery substance that covers them densely; this eventually disappears with age. The Moso bamboo is also covered in hair-like structures called pubescence. These are most dense near the base of young culms but lessen as they grow taller. The culm sheath is the protective layer that covers new shoots as they emerge; it is typically yellow-brown or purple-brown and also covered in hair.

The Phyllostachys edulis is a species of bamboo that is native to China. The plant grows to a height of about 15 meters and has leaves that are light green in color.

The leaves are 4-11 cm long and 0.5-1.2 cm wide. The plant flowers every 50-100 years, and the flowers are hermaphrodites. After flowering, the plant does not die, and not all individuals flower at the same time. This bamboo species is used for timber and paper production in China.

Phyllostachys Edulis

Phyllostachys edulis, also known as bamboo, is a popular ornamental plant. It is also used as food and medicine. The young shoots are edible, and the wood is used for eating utensils, brooms, poles, water pipes, umbrellas, scaffolding, and other purposes. It is said to have medicinal properties. The plant is native to China, but it has been introduced to other parts of the world. In China, it is considered to be an auspicious plant.

Usage:

• food: young shoots are edible
• medicinal
• ornamental
• wood: For eating utensils, brooms, poles, water pipes, umbrellas, scaffolding…

Nomenclature:

Phyllostachys Edulis Common names:

Moso bamboo, tortoise-shell bamboo

Synonyms:

Bambos moosoo, Bambusa heterocycla, Bambusa pubescens, Phyllostachys edulis var. heterocycla, Phyllostachys heterocycla, Phyllostachys heterocycla var. pubescens, Phyllostachys pubescens, Phyllostachys pubescens var. heterocycla

Etymology:

Phyllostachys: from Ancient Greek phúllon (leaf) and stákhus (ear of grain)

Edulis: from the Latin edūlis (edible)

Moso: from the Chinese words Mao Zhu (hairy bamboo)

Origin:

China, now widely cultivated in East Asia and Europe

Habitat:

Mountain slopes; below 1.600 m or more

Hardiness:

USDA zone 6-10 (ideally USDA zone 8-9)

Phyllostachys Edulis – Care

Phyllostachys Edulis – Soil

• Light to heavy

Phyllostachys Edulis – Light

Sun, partial shade

Phyllostachys Edulis – Water

Keep soil constantly moist

Phyllostachys Edulis – Feed

Fertilize abundantly during the growing period, with organic matter or fertilizer

Phyllostachys Edulis – Propagation

Seed, division in spring, basal cane cuttings in spring

Phyllostachys Edulis – Sowing instructions

• surface sow in moist sowing substrate
• 20 °C
• keep moist
• germination time: 2 weeks up to 3-6 months