PHYLLOSTACHYS NIGRA  (Black Bamboo)

     5 gallon pots ready to go

 To see a list of landscape projects with black bamboo in Southern  California click here

 

Probable height in S California with average growing conditions and 10 square foot growing area within 3 years = 10'

Probable ultimate height in S California with some humidity, constant source of soil moisture and 20 square foot growing area = 20'

Possible height in S California with humidity, constant source of soil moisture and 40 square foot growing area = 30'

Height in habitat = 35'

Loses leaves around  -10 to  0 degrees Fahrenheit.

Loses canes around  -20 to  -10 degrees Fahrenheit.

Rhizomes die around  -30 to -40 degrees Fahrenheit.

If growing in the ground it prefers half sun, half shade.

A running bamboo - rhizomes will run sideways in moist earth unless restrained with a root barrier.

Minimum soil depth required for a healthy plant = 6"

Unrestrained rhizome depth in moist soil = 12"

Black Bamboo, Kuro chiku, Gomadake, Nitaguro chiku.

 

        Decorative & edible Chinese plant, one of the most attractive bamboos for landscaping with new culms that come up green and then slowly develop splotches of brown and eventually turn pitch black 6-18 months after sprouting.  The light green new cane tips are combed with fine purple lines & have tufts of purple-black hairs when they first pop up.  The mature plant with a large area to grow in forms a rather open grove of beautiful black canes with lush foliage above.  The only problem is that the roots do run and therefore need concrete rhizome barriers completely enclosing them in the ground if the owner wants to keep them from running sideways in surrounding moist ground. 

        Maximum 2" diameter culms (in California 1" diameter is more common) are leafless on the mature plant up to 4 or 5'.   One of the most popular Bamboos in the U.S., excellent for tub, pot or planter if given a large well-watered, well-drained growing area protected from hot afternoon sunlight.   Makes an appealing landscape composition with white gravel & rocks.   Foliage looks best if given a good-sized, moist root system, otherwise the leaf tips get brown & dried.   Alkaline high salt content water also said to produce leaf tip burn.

        In China it is used to make musical instruments, furniture & handicrafts.   Introduced from China & Japan into the U.S. in 1827.   All black bamboo at the LA Arboretum went into full flower in spring 1990.  We had several plants flower at the same time, then later put out non-flowering foliage & fully recovered.  

        0 degrees F. minimum temperature for keeping its foliage if unprotected.   Foliage remains evergreen down to -10 degrees if kept moist & heavily mulched.   Rhizomes survive down to -25 degrees F.  

        David Andrews reports minor leaf damage at 9 degrees, minor culm & rhizome damage at 5 degrees & major rhizome damage at 0 degrees F.  

        Pryse Duerfeldt had a 3-year-old plant in Negaunee Michigan which got -30 degrees F. every winter but is only about 1' high.   

        Tends to get higher in cold wet climates (20' in SF), stays lower in warm dry climates (8' in LA), however if watered every day for 4-5 years it will get 20' tall in the LA area as well.           Planting in moist location in Sanger, California around 1980 was 55' tall with 2" diameter canes in 1994.  

        Has not done well in S. Florida, perhaps because of lack of winter.  

        Mark Hooten tells of a healthy old plant in Fort Myers that is 50' in diameter but only 12" high!   Jean Harrington says it grows very slowly in St. Pete.

        Installed in new LA Convention Center in 1993 with 75-100 foot-candles of light.   Replaced with Bambusa oldhamii in 1994 and all bamboo eliminated from the area in 1995.

        Al Adelman in Westford, Mass reported that in winter of 2002 P. nigra  bent to the ground and covered with oak leaves came through just fine.  The lowest temp was about -8F with abundant snow cover.