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Quail Gardens
- BAMBUSA BAMBOS
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- 40' height, Full Sun,
27 degrees F Minimum, Clumper.
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- Makes a nice
interesting bonsai or house plant in a pot if you keep it under control OR a huge
arching specimen with 7" diameter lower branches
and
4-5" thorns if you just let it go. You gotta be a huge
thorny plant lover to love this one. The culms are
shaded with black & the wood is very hard, probably making it a good
source of unique craft items such as bowls & containers.
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- The plant looks
primitive. In the late 40's it was planted
all around the perimeter of Homestead Air Force Base. Later it
was removed & a lot of the removed plants were distributed
to small nursery & home owners throughout Southern Florida, where they remain today.
- Planted & then
removed from the Miami zoo because too few loved it and too many disliked it.
Was called "weedy" & there were many
lawsuits from the parents of kids who hurt themselves
on the plant.
- Perhaps in public gardens it should be placed at the back edge of a large
planting so it can be admired from a distance, rather than up close.
On the other hand there is some shock value in its
unusually big rough tough appearance.
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- From India, where
it is used commercially to produce pulp & paper. In Sri Lanka & Thailand it is said to be the most
useful bamboo for construction, especially for
scaffolding & load-bearing supports in rural
houses. The shoots are eaten in Thailand, usually
after pickling.
- The plants in
Florida which experienced their 1989 low of 23 degrees
had 50% of their leaves burned brown but then
recovered.
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- A 5 gal pot was
offered at the fall '91 SCABS show for $75. At the
fall '92 SCABS show a 5 gallon pot was offered for $50
& 10 collectors tried to buy it. A 15 gallon
pot 6' tall was sold at the spring '95 SCABS sale for
$85. A variegated plant in a 5" pot was offered
for sale at the '95 SCABS fall sale for $40 with no
buyer. An all-green plant in an 8" pot 2' high
was sold at the same sale for $35.
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