Moso bamboo

Phyllostachys edulis

Giant running bamboo to 20 m, the principal commercial bamboo of China for timber, building material, scaffold poles, fibre, and edible spring shoots.

Hardiness ratings

Moso bamboo hardiness across the four zone systems
SystemRatingTemperature rangeHow to read it
USDA hardiness zone Zone 6–11 −23.3 °C to 10 °C Plant tolerates down to this zone
RHS hardiness rating H5 −15 °C to −10 °C Plant needs at least this level of cold tolerance
Canadian plant hardiness zone Zone 7–9 −12 °C and warmer Plant tolerates down to this zone
Australian (ANBG) zone Zone 2–7 −10 °C and warmer Plant tolerates down to this zone

Growing notes

  • Whole stems used as building timber and scaffolding — among the strongest plant materials by weight-to-strength ratio
  • WARNING: Running rhizome — spreads aggressively by underground runners, can move 10 m per year if unchecked. Install rhizome barriers 60 cm deep or grow only in containers, or risk invading neighbouring properties
  • Spring shoots are the bamboo shoots of East Asian cookery — eaten raw they contain toxic taxiphyllin, must be boiled with water changes before eating
  • Distinct from the clumping Bambusa oldhamii already in the database (which is far better behaved)

Categories

Related plants

Cross-check Moso bamboo against your zones

Reference

Moso bamboo on Wikipedia