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Phyllostachys edulis

Common name:	Moso-Chiku	Family:	Gramineae
Author:	(Carriè re.)J.Houz.	Botanical references:	11, 200
Synonyms:	Sinarundinaria pubescens, Phyllostachys pubescens (Mazel. ex J.Houz.), Phyllostachys mitis (Auctt. non Riviè re.& C.Riviè re.)
Known Hazards:	None known
Range:	E. Asia - China.
Habitat:	Woodland[162].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	4	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	1

Other Possible Synonyms:	From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below.
	Bambusa edulis[G] P. edulis var. heterocycla[G] P. heterocycla[G] P. heterocycla f. pubescens[G] P. pubescens var. heterocycla[G]
Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	Pubescent Bamboo [P],
Epithets:	From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets
	edulis = edible
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Cyperales. Renamed to Poaceae -- Grass family

Physical Characteristics

An evergreen bamboo growing to 6m. It is hardy to zone 7. It is in leaf all year. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Wind. We rate it 4/5 for edibility and 1/5 for medicinal use.

The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland). It requires moist soil.

Habitats and Possible Locations

Woodland, Sunny Edge, Dappled Shade, Shady Edge.

Edible Uses

Stem.

Young shoots - cooked[1, 11, 105]. Very palatable when cooked but acrid raw[25, 74, 183]. Not of the highest quality, but their large size makes them very popular[195]. Extensively eaten in China, they are usually cooked in one change of water[183]. The shoots are harvested in the spring when they are about 8cm above the ground, cutting them about 5cm below soil level. The dormant young shoots, harvested in the winter before they emerge above the ground, are especially relished as a delicacy[183, 195].

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

Antiemetic Antirheumatic.

The leaves are used in the treatment of arthritic inflammations[218].
The sheaths of the stem are used in the treatment of nausea and sour stomach[218].

Other Uses

Containers Pipes Wood.

The canes make good water pipes[74], they are also used for household utensils etc[25]. The short internodes at the lower end of the cane are used as flasks, vases etc[74]. Although the wood is relatively soft, the canes are much used for heavy construction, weaving various types of handicrafts and paper making[195].
The rhizomes are used as walking sticks and umbrella handles.

Cultivation details

Requires a rich damp soil in a sheltered position[200] with plenty of moisture in the growing season[162]. Likes abundant sunshine[11].
A fairly cold-hardy plant, succeeding outdoors in many areas of Britain. It tolerates temperatures down to about -15° c according to one report, but the plants are slow to recover from damage caused by cold weather[11]. They also dislike prolonged exposure to hard frosts[200].
Plants grow well in &ndndndnd making a very good sized clump. The young shoots are very fast growing, up to 30cm per day[11], and are produced from late April[25]. The rootstock is running but it is practically static in cool climates[25].
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].
Young plants can be difficult to establish, new plantings only grow slowly at first and often fail completely if soil and water conditions are less than the best[195].
Cultivated for its edible young shoots and other uses in China and Japan[46, 183], it is the most commonly cultivated bamboo in China and the second most common in Japan[195].
This is a good companion species to grow in a woodland because the plants are shallow rooted and do not compete with deep rooted trees[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. Divisions from the open ground do not transplant well, so will need careful treatment and nurturing under cover in pots until at least late spring[238]. Division is best carried out in wet weather and small divisions will establish better than large clumps[238]. Another report says that you can take large divisions from established clumps and transfer them straight to their permanent positions, misting or drenching them frequently until they are established[200].
Basal cane cuttings in spring.

Suppliers

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

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.
[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database

References for Phyllostachys pubescens (a possible synonym).

[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

[1] F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).

[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.

[74] Komarov. V. L. Flora of the USSR. Israel Program for Scientific Translation 1968
An immense (25 or more large volumes) and not yet completed translation of the Russian flora. Full of information on plant uses and habitats but heavy going for casual readers.

[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.

[162] Grounds. R. Ornamental Grasses. Christopher Helm 1989 ISBN 0-7470-1219-9
Cultivation details of many of the grasses and bamboos. Well illustrated.

[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.

[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.

[218] Duke. J. A. and Ayensu. E. S. Medicinal Plants of China Reference Publications, Inc. 1985 ISBN 0-917256-20-4
Details of over 1,200 medicinal plants of China and brief details of their uses. Often includes an analysis, or at least a list of constituents. Heavy going if you are not into the subject.

[238] Bown. D. Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, London. 1995 ISBN 0-7513-020-31
A very well presented and informative book on herbs from around the globe. Plenty in it for both the casual reader and the serious student. Just one main quibble is the silly way of having two separate entries for each plant.

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Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future - Species Database. Copyright (c) 1997-2003.
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