Family: Poaceae
Thyrsostachys siamensis (monastery bamboo, umbrella bamboo) is a bamboo native to Yunnan, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Vietnam. This type of bamboo is valued as a food in Thailand and the young shoots are typically canned. It is also used for furniture making, house construction, chopsticks, baskets and many other items. Unlike running bamboo species, which spread out easily by rhizome, this bamboo is a clumping species, which while also grows by rhizome, it does so steadily from the center of the plant. This type of growth pattern is far less likely to spread and get out of control. 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:
- Grows, and could potentially spread, in regions with tropical climates
- Unconfirmed reports of naturalization (but no evidence in Hawaiian Islands)
- Tolerates many soil types
- Forms pure stands in native range
- Reproduces by seeds (after many years or decades of vegetative growth)
- Hybridizes with other bamboo species
- Prolific seed production (after decades of vegetative growth)
- 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
- Lack of flowering for much of life cycle limits potential for long distance dispersal
