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Gigantochloa apus - (Schult. & Schult.f.) Kurz ex Munro

Common Name Watho. Tabashir Bamboo
Family Poaceae
USDA hardiness 9-11
Known Hazards None known
Habitats Found in open areas, disturbed forest and on river sides on sandy or clayey soils[303 ]
Range E. Asia - India, Myanmar, Thailand, Indonesia.
Edibility Rating    (2 of 5)
Other Uses    (4 of 5)
Weed Potential No
Medicinal Rating    (0 of 5)
Care (info)
Tender Moist Soil Semi-shade Full sun
Gigantochloa apus Watho. Tabashir Bamboo


wikimedia.org Wibowo Djatmiko (Wie146)
Gigantochloa apus Watho. Tabashir Bamboo
wikimedia.org Wibowo Djatmiko (Wie146)

 

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Summary


Physical Characteristics

 icon of manicon of flower
Gigantochloa apus is an evergreen Bamboo growing to 20 m (65ft) by 6 m (19ft) at a fast rate.
See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 10. The flowers are pollinated by Wind.
Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and prefers well-drained soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It prefers moist soil.

UK Hardiness Map US Hardiness Map

Synonyms

Bambusa apus Schult. & Schult.f. Gigantochloa kurzii Gamble

Plant Habitats

Edible Uses

Edible Parts: Shoots
Edible Uses:

Young shoots - cooked[303 ]. Very bitter[303 ]. In Java the freshly cut shoots are buried in mud for 3 - 4 days to remove the bitter taste, before they are consumed as a vegetable[303 , 992 ].

References   More on Edible Uses

Medicinal Uses

Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally.


None known

References   More on Medicinal Uses

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Other Uses

The culms are durable, 8 - 30 metres long, 4 - 13cm in diameter, with a thick wall up to 15mm thick and with internodes 20 - 60cm long[303 ]. They are used as building material for roofs, walls, scaffoldings and bridges[303 , 992 ]. The culms can be split into fine strips for weaving hats, baskets and other objects; when split fine and the pieces bent, the surface does not chip off[303 , 992 ]. In the absence of more suitable species, it is sometimes used to make musical instruments, although the quality of the tones produced is inferior[303 ]. It is unsuitable for making chopsticks or toothpicks mechanically, because it has overlapping fibres[303 ].

Special Uses

Carbon Farming

References   More on Other Uses

Cultivation details

Industrial Crop: Biomass  Management: Managed Multistem  Regional Crop

Prefers growing in the tropical humid low-lands, but also occurs on hill slopes at elevations up to 1,500 metres[303 ]. Grows well in clay soils[303 ]. When growing in drier areas, the culms remain smaller[303 ]. One year after planting the vegetatively obtained propagules, about 10 - 15 culms will emerge; they are harvestable 1 - 3 years later, depending on the use[310 ]. Annual yields of 1,000 culms per hectare can be obtained[310 ]. Bamboos have an interesting method of growth. Each plant produces a number of new stems annually - these stems grow to their maximum height in their first year of growth, subsequent growth in the stem being limited to the production of new side branches and leaves. In the case of some mature tropical species the new stem could be as much as 30 metres tall, with daily increases in height of 30cm or more during their peak growth time. This makes them some of the fastest-growing species in the world[K ]. Bamboos in general are usually monocarpic, living for many years before flowering, then flowering and seeding profusely for a period of 1 - 3 years before usually dying. The plant flowers very rarely - in Indonesia, flowering may start 50 - 60 years after planting[310 ]. When flowering, viable seed is produced that can be used for propagation[310 ]. The overlapping of rhizomes in old clumps often raises the middle portion of the clump high above the ground[303 ]. The culm size can vary considerably, leading local people to use different names for plants with different culm sizes[303 ].

Carbon Farming

  • Industrial Crop: Biomass  Three broad categories: bamboos, resprouting woody plants, and giant grasses. uses include: protein, materials (paper, building materials, fibers, biochar etc.), chemicals (biobased chemicals), energy - biofuels
  • Management: Managed Multistem  Regularly removing some multiple stems. A non-A non-destructive management systems maintaining the soil organic carbon.
  • Regional Crop  These crops have been domesticated and cultivated regionally but have not been adopted elsewhere and are typically not traded globally, Examples in this broad category include perennial cottons and many nuts and staple fruits.

References   Carbon Farming Information and Carbon Sequestration Information

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Plant Propagation

Seed - Rhizome cuttings consist of fragments of young rhizomes bearing 1 - 2 culm buds[303 ]. They are raised in a nursery and, when well rooted, are transplanted to the field at a spacing of 5 - 7 m2[303 ]. Culm cuttings consist of culm segments or whole culms. Good results were obtained with one-year-old culm segments bearing 2 buds each[303 ]. The cuttings are set upright or at an angle, with the node well covered with soil[303 ]. It is not advisable to propagate vegetatively from flowering clumps, as the new plants will also start flowering soon after planting[303 ].

Other Names

If available other names are mentioned here

Bambu apus, Bambu tali, Clumping bamboo, Goba-wa, Mai lai, Wa-do

Native Range

TROPICAL ASIA: Myanmar, Thailand (south)

Weed Potential

Right plant wrong place. We are currently updating this section. Please note that a plant may be invasive in one area but may not in your area so it’s worth checking.

None Known

Conservation Status

IUCN Red List of Threatened Plants Status : This taxon has not yet been assessed

Related Plants
Latin NameCommon NameHabitHeightHardinessGrowthSoilShadeMoistureEdibleMedicinalOther
Gigantochloa albociliataClumping bambooBamboo12.0 10-11 FLMHSNM303
Gigantochloa atroviolaceaBlack Bamboo. Giant Black bambooBamboo12.0 9-11 MLMHSNM203
Gigantochloa baluiClumping BambooBamboo 10.0 10-12 FLMHNM203
Gigantochloa hasskarlianaAwi TelaBamboo10.0 10-12 FLMHSNM403
Gigantochloa levisBulo semilang, Buloh seremai, BoloBamboo15.0 9-10 FLMHSNM323
Gigantochloa verticillataWhorled bamboo, Giant stripy bambooBamboo15.0 10-12 FLMNM303

Growth: S = slow M = medium F = fast. Soil: L = light (sandy) M = medium H = heavy (clay). pH: A = acid N = neutral B = basic (alkaline). Shade: F = full shade S = semi-shade N = no shade. Moisture: D = dry M = Moist We = wet Wa = water.

 

Expert comment

Author

(Schult. & Schult.f.) Kurz ex Munro

Botanical References

Links / References

For a list of references used on this page please go here
A special thanks to Ken Fern for some of the information used on this page.

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