Family: Poaceae

Bambusa oldhamii, commonly known as Oldham’s bamboo, is a tall, elegant species prized for its straight, sturdy culms and lush green appearance. Native to Taiwan and southern China, it grows quickly and forms dense clumps, making it popular for creating living screens, windbreaks, and tropical-style landscaping. Its upright growth habit and minimal lower branching give it a clean, orderly look, and it performs well in a wide range of warm climates.

In Hawaiʻi, Oldham’s bamboo is widely cultivated but should be planted with care. Like many clumping bamboos, it expands gradually, but the clump can still become quite large over time and may outgrow small spaces. Regular maintenance—such as thinning older culms and planning for its mature size—helps keep it manageable. As with all bamboos, thoughtful placement away from property lines and natural areas ensures it remains a beautiful, non-intrusive addition to the landscape.

High Risk Traits:

• History of repeated introductions worldwide
  
• Potential allelopathic properties
  
• Tolerates shade and a wide range of soils
  
• Prolific seed production during rare flowering events
  
• Capable of vegetative spread via rhizomes
  
• Intentionally dispersed by humans
  
• Seeds likely wind-dispersed
  
• Tolerates pruning and damage

Low Risk Traits:

• Not reported as a weed
  
• No spines, thorns, or parasitic habit
  
• Palatable to livestock; non-toxic to humans
  
• No fire hazard or smothering growth
  
• Clumping habit (does not form dense thickets)
  
• Flowers infrequently (every several decades)
  
• No unintentional dispersal mechanisms
  
• No persistent seed bank
  
• Seeds short-lived