Menu list goes here

Herbal Database Search Results

Back to: Pathways Main Search Page For Metaphysical uses visit The Witchs Haven

Bambusa multiplex

Common name:	Hedge Bamboo	Family:	Gramineae
Author:	(Lour.)Raeusch. ex Schult.& Schult.f.	Botanical references:	11, 200
Synonyms:	Leleba multiplex ((Lour.)Nakai.), Bambusa nana (Roxb.), Bambusa glaucescens ((Willd.)Siebold. ex Holttum.), Bambusa argentea (hort)
Known Hazards:	None known
Range:	E. Asia - Eastern Himalayas to southern China.
Habitat:	Open places at elevations of 200 - 1500 metres in Nepal[272].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	2	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	0

Other Possible Synonyms:	From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below.
	Arundo multiplex[G] B. alphonse-karri[G] B. glaucescens var. riviereorum[G] B. multiplex auct. non[P] B. multiplex var. riviereorum[G] B. nana var. alphonso-karri[G] Bambos nana var. alphonso-karri[G] Ludolfia glaucescens[B,G,P]
Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	Buloh China [E], Golden Goddess Bamboo [P], Hedge Bamboo [B,P], Oriental Hedge Bamboo [B],
Epithets:	From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets
	multiplex = many folds
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Cyperales. Renamed to Poaceae -- Grass family
Other Range Info:	From the Ethnobotany Database
	Malaya

Physical Characteristics

An evergreen bamboo growing to 4.5m by 5m . It is hardy to zone 9. It is in leaf all year. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Wind. We rate it 2/5 for edibility and 0/5 for medicinal use.

The plant prefers light (sandy) and medium (loamy) soils and requires well-drained soil. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It requires moist soil.

Habitats and Possible Locations

Hedge, Woodland, Dappled Shade, Shady Edge.

Edible Uses

Stem.

Young shoots - cooked[46, 105]. Bitter tasting, they are rarely eaten[195]. They are less bitter if harvested before they emerge from the soil and then parboiled in water[183].

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

None known

Other Uses

Hedge Paper Weaving.

Paper is made from the culms[46, 61]. The canes are too arched for good poles and there is too small a volume for significant pulp production, in spite of good fibre dimensions[195]. The culms are up to 4cm in diameter[220].
The canes split easily and are fairly flexible - they are used as a source of weaving material for mats, baskets and other household goods[220, 272].
The plant makes a good screen or hedge[188, 200].

Cultivation details

Prefers an open loam of fair quality, succeeding on peaty soils and in full sun or dappled shade[11, 200]. Requires a position sheltered from cold drying winds[11]. Requires abundant moisture in the growing season and plenty of organic matter in the soil[11].
A fairly hardy plant, tolerating temperatures down to about -8° c[25, 195], but it does not like periods of prolonged cold.
This species is notably resistant to honey fungus[200].
Plants only flower at intervals of many years. When they do come into flower most of the plants energies are directed into producing seed and consequently the plant is severely weakened. They sometimes die after flowering, but if left alone they will usually recover though they will look very poorly for a few years. If fed with artificial NPK fertilizers at this time the plants are more likely to die[122].
New shoots appear in late spring, the rootstock is caespitose[25].
A polymorphic species, there are many named varieties selected for their ornamental value[25, 195].

Propagation

Seed - surface sow as soon as it is ripe in a greenhouse at about 20° c. 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. Grow on in a lightly shaded place in the greenhouse until large enough to plant out. Seed is rarely available.
Division in spring as new growth commences[220]. 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 a greenhouse 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[200].
Branches often develop into rhizomatous offsets with long roots. These can be removed and potted up in late spring[220].

Cultivars

'': No entries have been made for this species as yet.

Suppliers

For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.

PFAF Web Pages

This plant is mentioned in the following web pages

Web References

Latin and Worldwide Common Names From Multilingual Multiscript Plant Name Database by M. H. Porcher et. al. 1995 - 2000 Landcare Systems Research Laboratory, Department of Crop Production,Institute of Land and Food Resources, The University of Melbourne, Australia.
[B] Data (Latin & Common names, other references) from the BONAP's Synonymized Checklist of the Vascular Flora of the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.
[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database

References for Bambusa glaucescens (a possible synonym).

[E] Ethnobotany Data (common names, uses, countries) from the Ethnobotany Database.
[B] Data (Latin & Common names, other references) from the BONAP's Synonymized Checklist of the Vascular Flora of the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.

See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.

Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.

References

[11] Bean. W. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Vol 1 - 4 and Supplement. Murray 1981
A classic with a wealth of information on the plants, but poor on pictures.

[25] Lawson. Bamboos. Faber 1968
Fairly comprehensive, it was once the standard work but is now rather dated. Deals with species hardy in Britain, giving cultivation details and some uses.

[46] Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959
An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.

[61] Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974 ISBN 0094579202
Forget the sexist title, this is one of the best books on the subject. Lists a very extensive range of useful plants from around the world with very brief details of the uses. Not for the casual reader.

[105] Tanaka. T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing 1976
The most comprehensive guide to edible plants I've come across. Only the briefest entry for each species, though, and some of the entries are more than a little dubious. Not for the casual reader.

[122] ? The Plantsman. Vol. 1. 1979 - 1980. Royal Horticultural Society 1979
Excerpts from the periodical giving cultivation details and other notes on some of the useful plants. A good article on the flowering of bamboos.

[183] Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9
Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.

[188] Brickell. C. The RHS Gardener's Encyclopedia of Plants and Flowers Dorling Kindersley Publishers Ltd. 1990 ISBN 0-86318-386-7
Excellent range of photographs, some cultivation details but very little information on plant uses.

[195] Farrelly. D. The Book of Bamboo Sierra Club. 1984 ISBN 0-87156-825-X
Very readable, giving lots of information on the uses of bamboos, both temperate and tropical.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

[220] Stapleton. C. Bamboos of Nepal The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew 1994 ISBN 0947643680
An excelllent little booklet that looks in some detail at the native bamboos of Nepal, including looking at their uses.

Readers Comments

Back to: Pathways Home page, Main Search Page Help Bibliography

Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future - Species Database. Copyright (c) 1997-2003.
WEB search engine by Rich Morris - Home Page- Contact Info
Blagdon Cross, Ashwater, Beaworthy, Devon, EX21 5DF, UK.
Website: www.pfaf.org Phone: 0845 458 4719/_44(0) 1208 872963

This page (UK) http://www.comp.leeds.ac.uk/cgi-bin/pfaf/arr_html?Bambusa+multiplex
This page (US) http://www.ibiblio.org/pfaf/cgi-bin/arr_html?Bambusa+multiplex

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License.
(You can copy, distribute, display this works but: Attribution is required, its for Non-Commercial purposes, and it's Share Alike (GNUish/copyleft) i.e. has an identical license.)
We also ask that you let us know (michael@thewitchshaven.com) if you link to, redistribute, make a derived work or do anything groovy with this information.

Pathways Home :: View Cart :: Shipping & Returns :: Contact Us :: Privacy Policy :: Philosophy :: The Witchs Haven

We make no claims of magical effects or supernatural powers for any item in this catalog. In spite of legendary attributes or occult and craft tradition, such items are offered as curios only and beliefs concerning their magical effectiveness are related only for historical interest.