Family: Poaceae
Mexican weeping bamboo is a clumping bamboo. Stems delicate and lacey in appearance, gracefully arch to form a weeping silhouette, hence the common name. Native to Mexico and Nicaragua, Mexican weeping bamboo grows 15 to 20 feet tall. The flowers are nothing special; it’s the foliage that commands attention.
Propagate by dividing rhizomes off the central clump. It grows well as a container plant. New shoots are edible. Cut canes are used in place of rods, sticks, and dowels. They work wonderfully in place of a curtain rod.
Plant Uses:
- Container plant
- Edible
- Erosion control
- Hedge
- Ornamental
- Privacy / screening
- Specimen
- Windbreak
Plant Dangers:
- No dangers
High Risk Traits:
- Repeated introductions outside native range (US: FL, OR, CA, AZ, HI, TX)
- Tolerates a wide range of soil conditions (acidic to mildly alkaline)
- Produces viable seed
- Reproduces vegetatively by rhizomes (clumping, can be divided)
- Intentionally dispersed by people (ornamental value)
- Grows in tropical/subtropical climates (native range matches)
Low Risk Traits:
- No evidence of naturalization or weediness (garden, agricultural, environmental)
- No congeneric weeds
- No spines, thorns, or burrs
- Not allelopathic or parasitic
