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Gigantochloa balui - K.M.Wong

Common Name Clumping Bamboo
Family Poaceae
USDA hardiness 10-12
Known Hazards None known
Habitats Not known in a truly wild situation
Range Asia. The plant is found in Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia, but probably due to cultivation.
Edibility Rating    (2 of 5)
Other Uses    (3 of 5)
Weed Potential No
Medicinal Rating    (0 of 5)
Care (info)
Tender Moist Soil Full sun
Gigantochloa balui Clumping Bamboo


tropicalbamboo.com
Gigantochloa balui Clumping Bamboo
tropicalbamboo.com

 

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Summary

Sometimes misspelt as Gigantochloa balvi


Physical Characteristics

 icon of manicon of flower
Gigantochloa balui is an evergreen Bamboo growing to 10 m (32ft) by 4 m (13ft) 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 cannot grow in the shade. It prefers moist soil.

UK Hardiness Map US Hardiness Map

Synonyms

No synonyms are recorded for this name.

Habitats

Edible Uses

Edible Parts: Shoots
Edible Uses:

Young shoots - cooked[310 ]. Although the young shoots are edible, other species such as Gigantochloa levis and Dendrocalamus asper are generally preferred[310 ].

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 have a wide range of uses. They are used whole in construction, to makes poles, fishing stakes, sailing masts and for framing etc. The culms are also split for making baskets, handicrafts etc. The culm internodes are used as containers for cooking meat and vegetables, and for making handicrafts[310]. Carbon farming Industrial Crop: biomass.

Special Uses

Carbon Farming

References   More on Other Uses

Cultivation details

Industrial Crop: Biomass  Management: Managed Multistem  Regional Crop

Climate: subtropical to tropical. Humidity: humid. Cultivation: regional crop. Management: managed multistem. The plant appears to grow best on rich alluvial sites, especially near rivers, and also establishes well in secondary forest[310 ]. The plant usually grows in tight clumps to the exclusion of most other plants. This is partly due to the accumulation of much siliceous leaf litter on the ground, which decays only slowly and prevents effective establishment of other plants[310 ]. In a trial plot in Sabah, Malaysia, eight years after planting from cuttings, the number of healthy mature culms per clump was estimated at 20 - 40[310 ]. Mature culms, 2 or more years old, are usually harvested, though in some areas one year old culms are preferred for basketry[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. 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. This pattern can vary - sometimes flowering is sporadic, with plants flowering annually and not dying; at other times it is gregarious with all the plants in a specific species coming into flower at the same time. In this species, flowering clumps are not commonly encountered, which is probably a major reason why the botanical identity of the plant eluded workers for a long time. However, when a clump does flower, most or all culms gradually become generative, and an entire flowering episode can last up to a whole year. One clump observed in Brunei Darussalam flowered during a period of 14 months - although all the culms died afterwards, the plantitself did not die but produced new growth from the rhizome system[310 ].

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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Propagation

Seed. Rhizome cuttings (offsets) and culm cuttings can be used quite effectively for propagation[310 ]. Culm cuttings taken from mature, but not senescent culms guarantees a high degree of success in producing new plants in 3 - 4 months, provided water is not limiting[310 ]. Rooted cuttings with several leafy branches can be planted out in the field, in holes into which manure and fertilizer have been put. Preliminary observations of a trial in Sandakan, Sabah, indicate that a distance of 4 - 6 metres between individual clumps facilitates optimum growth and minimizes weed problems[310 ].

Other Names

If available other names are mentioned here

Clumping bamboo,

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Found In

Countries where the plant has been found are listed here if the information is available

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 apusWatho. Tabashir BambooBamboo20.0 9-11 FLMHSNM204
Gigantochloa atroviolaceaBlack Bamboo. Giant Black bambooBamboo12.0 9-11 MLMHSNM203
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.

 

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Author

K.M.Wong

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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