Golden Bamboo

Common Names: golden bamboo, fishpole bamboo, running bamboo

Native Origin: China; and cultivated in Japan for centuries.

Description: Golden bamboo culms can reach a height of 8 to 10 meters. The alternate, grass-like, leaves are lanceolate; 1.5 dm long and 1 to 2 cm wide and often in fan clusters. The edges of the leaves may be rough or smooth without lobes. Golden bamboo flowers infrequently, may not flower for several decades and in many cases will preclude the death of the plant. Spikelets are solitary and 8 to 12 flowered. Stems are solid jointed canes 1 to 6 inches (2.5 to 15 cm) in diameter that are hollow between joints and golden to green to black. Stems branch wiry and grass-like from joints. Lower shoots and branches with loose papery sheaths cover the ground when shed. Roots primarily spread by rhizomes. Shoots develop in the spring with initiation primarily controlled by temperature. The culms grow from side shoots at alternate nodes of the rhizome.

Habitat: Golden bamboo thrives in full sun in all but the hottest climates where it requires some shade. It will grow in sparsely wooded secondary forests. Vigorous growth and spread is seen in moist, deep loamy soils. In habitats less than ideal, it will continue to grow and spread at a diminished rate.

Distribution: This species is reported from states shaded on Plants Database map. It is reported invasive in GA, MD, PA, VA, and WV.

Ecological Impacts: It is common around old home-sites and has escaped. It colonized by rhizomes with infestations rapidly expanding after disturbance.

Control and Management:

• Manual- Cutting/Mowing: This method can be used on small infestations or where herbicides cannot be used. Cut plants as close to the ground as possible. Repeat several times throughout the growing season as plants re-sprout. Monitoring and retreatment will be necessary for several growing seasons until the energy reserves in the rhizomes are exhausted.

• Chemical- It can be effectively controlled using any of several readily available general use herbicides such as glyphosate. Foliar Spray Method: This method should be considered for large areas of bamboo where risk to non-target species is minimal. Air temperature should be above 65°F to ensure absorption of herbicides. Follow label and state requirements.

References: www.forestimages.org, http://plants.usda.gov, www.nps.gov/plants/alien, Invasive Plants of the Eastern United States www.invasive.org, Miller, James H., Nonnative Invasive Plants of Southern Forests, A Field Guide for Identification and Control. USDS SRS-62, p. 56-57

Produced by the USDA Forest Service, Forest Health Staff, Newtown Square, PA. Invasive Plants website: http://www.na.fs.fed.us/fhp/invasive_plants