Family: Poaceae

Bambusa chungii, commonly called emperor’s blue bamboo, is a striking clumping bamboo admired for its smooth culms that develop a distinctive bluish, powdery sheen. Native to southern China and Vietnam, this species forms tight clumps rather than spreading aggressively, and it grows tall and upright, creating an elegant vertical accent. Its attractive color and manageable growth habit have made it a popular ornamental choice in tropical and subtropical landscapes.

While emperor’s blue bamboo is generally considered a non-invasive clumping species, it still grows large and needs adequate space, water, and maintenance to stay healthy and contained. Plant Pono encourages thoughtful planting choices, and this bamboo can be a good option when used responsibly—giving it room to mature and avoiding placement where its height or density could become a nuisance. With proper care, Bambusa chungii can provide a beautiful, pono addition to the garden without posing a risk to Hawai‘i’s natural areas.

High Risk Traits:

• Forms dense thickets
  
• Grass family (many are invasive)
  
• Repeatedly introduced outside native range
  
• Other Bambusa species are invasive
  
• Reproduces via vegetative fragmentation
  
• Produces viable seeds
  
• Intentionally planted and dispersed by people
  
• Seeds can be wind-dispersed

Low Risk Traits:

• Not naturalized beyond native range
  
• No spines, thorns, or burrs
  
• Not allelopathic or parasitic
  
• Palatable to livestock
  
• Low unintentional dispersal risk
  
• Rarely fruits; low seed production
  
• No persistent seed bank
  
• Seeds not bird-dispersed
  
• No external animal dispersal