Family: Poaceae
Cephalostachyum pergracile, commonly known as tinwa bamboo, is a clumping bamboo native to parts of Southeast Asia. It forms slender, upright culms with a graceful appearance and fine-textured foliage, making it attractive in tropical and subtropical landscapes. Tinwa bamboo has traditionally been used for light construction, basketry, handicrafts, and sometimes for stakes or fencing, and it is also planted as an ornamental or for screening due to its elegant form and dense growth habit.
While tinwa bamboo is generally considered less aggressive than running bamboos, it can still spread outward from clumps over time and may escape cultivation if not properly managed. In favorable conditions, dense stands can form and potentially crowd out other plants. Careful placement, regular maintenance, and monitoring are important to prevent unwanted spread and to reduce the risk of impacts to nearby gardens or natural areas.
High Risk Traits:
- Thrives in tropical climates
- Produces viable seeds that may be dispersed by gravity, wind or people
- Tolerates many soil types
- Forms dense, extensive patches within native range
- Will resprout after repeated cutting or harvesting of shoots and culms (may be difficult to remove from unwanted areas)
Low Risk Traits:
- No negative impacts have been documented
- Non-toxic
- Edible shoots
- Landscaping and ornamental value
- A sympodial, or clumping bamboo
