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Arundinaria tecta
Also called Mutton Grass, Sand Cane, Southern Cane, Small Cane, Switch Cane
Arundinaria tecta, also known as switchcane or river cane, is part of the Arundinaria genus of bamboo species. Native to the Southeastern United States, the Arundinaria genus is considered to have the only temperate bamboos and has many species that can be hard to differentiate. A. tecta is often confused with A. gigantea and A. appalachiana and may need the combined effort of range, morphology, and genetics to distinguish between the species. Regardless, A. tecta and the Arundinaria genus as a whole have many significant cultural and environmental implications in the Southeastern United States.
Arundinaria tecta, or switchcane, is a bamboo species native to the Southeast United States, first studied in 1813. Arundinaria tecta is very similar in appearance to many other Arundinaria species, making it hard to distinguish between species. It serves as host to several butterfly species.
Arundinaria tecta is generally restricted to the Coastal Plains of the Southeastern United States. It can be found in wetlands, bogs, swamps, and sandy stream margins. It is often found in low lying and moist areas like live oak woods and non-alluvial swamps. However, it can still be found in the Blue Ridge and Piedmont areas of the Southeast. Large populations of A. tecta are known as canebrakes and are considered critically endangered ecosystems.
Alabama Cane · Hill cane · Giant cane · Cane
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Arundinaria tecta by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts are shared under the same licence.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
