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Phyllostachys nigra
Black bamboo is a clump-forming, running-free grass that grows up to 10 m tall, with canes that turn black after two or three seasons. It is grown mainly as an ornamental and for timber and shoots, and it does best in a sunny or lightly shaded spot with moist, well-drained soil.
Phyllostachys nigra, commonly known as black bamboo or purple bamboo (Chinese: 紫竹), is a species of bamboo, native to Hunan Province of China, and is widely cultivated elsewhere.
Growing up to 10 meters (35 ft) tall by 5cm (2 in) wide, it forms clumps of slender arching canes which turn black after two or three seasons. The abundant lance-shaped leaves are 4–13 cm (2–5 in) long.
A 2008 study from Zhejiang University, in China, isolated several flavone C-glycosides on black bamboo leaves, including orientin, homoorientin, vitexin and isovitexin.
It is used for lumber (timber), food, and musical instruments, among other things, in areas of China where it is native and also worldwide.
Golden bamboo · Yellow grove bamboo · Bamboo · Tortoise shell bamboo · Running giant bamboo · Bamboo
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Phyllostachys nigra by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
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.
