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Japanese cane

Saccharum × sinense

Also called Chinese Cane, Chinese Sugarcane

Japanese cane
Photo: farkomer from Taichung Taiwan, Taiwan, CC BY 2.0

Japanese cane (Saccharum × sinense) is a strong-growing perennial grass, a hardier, older-type sugarcane that forms erect clumps up to 5 m tall with red canes. It is grown outdoors in warm regions and tolerates poorer, drier soils better than common sugarcane.

Family
Poaceae (Grass family)
Grows as
Grass, Perennial
Light
Full sun
Water
Water regularly while establishing, then allow the soil to dry somewhat between waterings; it tolerates dry conditions better than most sugarcanes.
Soil
Well-drained soil, pH about 5 to 6; tolerates poor soils.
Temperature
20–32 °C ideal; tolerates 12–38 °C and brief light frosts
How easy
Easy
Safety
Not known to be toxic
Native range
New Guinea
Climate
wet tropical

About

Saccharum sinense or Saccharum × sinense, synonym Saccharum × barberi, sugarcane, is strong-growing species of grass (Poaceae) in the genus Saccharum. It originated in India and was originally cultivated in Northern India and China, where it is still commonly grown. It is a more primitive form of sugarcane with a hybrid origin from Saccharum officinarum and Saccharum spontaneum species of cane. A number of clones exists that are often included in the S. officinarum species as the Pansahi group. The most notable member of which is the Uba variety of cane. They are a perennial plant that grows in erect clumps that can reach up to 5 meters in height and have a red cane with a diameter of 15 mm to 30 mm.

How to grow it

This variety of sugarcane is noted for being hardier than other varieties as well as being better adapted to poor soils and dry conditions. It tends to be leafier, with relatively hard thin red coloured canes. The plant does best in temperatures that range between 20 °C – 32 °C but is capable of tolerating ranges from 12 °C – 38 °C and very short periods of light frosts. The plant grows best in well-drained soil with a pH range of 5–6.

The plant is still extensively cultivated in the Anhui, Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Hainan, Henan, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangxi, Shaanxi, Sichuan, Yunnan, and Zhejiang regions of China, and Taiwan.

Other Saccharum plants

Fijian Asparagus · Sugarcane · Tripidium ravennae · Wild sugarcane · Sugarcane

Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Saccharum sinense 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.

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