Family: Poaceae
Dendrocalamus giganteus (giant bamboo) is a bamboo native to Southeast Asia. It is sometimes cultivated for construction, such as for houses and waterpipes. It is also used for boat masts, furniture, weaving, paper production and various other uses. This plant has a clumping growth pattern that makes it different from the running, invasive varieties of bamboo. This combined with the lack of reproductive maturity in this bamboo for several decades makes it a much safer choice to plant. This plant has not been documented as naturalized in any Hawaiian Islands to date.
High Risk Traits:
- Broad climate suitability
- Grows, and could potentially spread, in regions with tropical climates
- Possibly naturalized, but region of origin uncertain
- Other Dendrocalamus species are invasive
- Tolerates many soil types
- Reproduces by seeds (rarely)
- Resprouts after repeated cutting and harvesting
Low Risk Traits:
- No reports of naturalization in the Hawaiian Islands, and no evidence of negative impacts where cultivated
- Unarmed (no spines, thorns or burrs)
- Palatable to animals and people
- Non-toxic
- A clumping bamboo that spreads vegetatively only locally
- Reaches maturity after several decades of growth (flowering rarely observed)
- Lack of flowering for much of life cycle limits potential for long distance dispersal