Native Texas Bamboo
 

Today I stopped at a place outside of town where a large patch of
what looks to be a native Bamboo is growing. It's about twenty
feet tall, an inch in diameter and has seed heads at the top. We
are having a severe drought here but these look healthy and
couldn't be pulled out of the ground, so I cut off some seed heads
and will let them dry before I throw them around some places away
from the house.

Will these start growing in the winter if I throw seed out before
spring?

These don't appear to be running or clumping Bamboo, but I'm not
an expert.

Anyone interested in getting some seeds? I wonder what the
restrictions would be for sending seeds to Florida, California
or some other states if someone from there wanted seeds?

Mysterious Traveler
West Texas

Native Texas Bamboo
 

Mysterious Traveler wrote:
Today I stopped at a place outside of town where a large patch of
what looks to be a native Bamboo is growing. It's about twenty
feet tall, an inch in diameter and has seed heads at the top. We
are having a severe drought here but these look healthy and
couldn't be pulled out of the ground, so I cut off some seed heads
and will let them dry before I throw them around some places away
from the house.

Will these start growing in the winter if I throw seed out before
spring?

These don't appear to be running or clumping Bamboo, but I'm not
an expert.

Anyone interested in getting some seeds? I wonder what the
restrictions would be for sending seeds to Florida, California
or some other states if someone from there wanted seeds?

Mysterious Traveler
West Texas






The book at www.seedgarden.co.uk/ebooks/bambooebook.pdf makes recommendations regarding bamboo seeds.

If you get the opportunity to take and post some pictures of this plant (the stems, leaves, seeds and where it comes out of the
ground), someone may be able to suggest an identification.

I can't comment on the restrictions of sending seeds as I live in Europe.

If you exclude running and clumping, what other possibility is there?

Native Texas Bamboo
 

Mysterious Traveler wrote:
Today I stopped at a place outside of town where a large patch of
what looks to be a native Bamboo is growing. It's about twenty
feet tall, an inch in diameter and has seed heads at the top. We
are having a severe drought here but these look healthy and
couldn't be pulled out of the ground, so I cut off some seed heads
and will let them dry before I throw them around some places away
from the house.

Will these start growing in the winter if I throw seed out before
spring?

These don't appear to be running or clumping Bamboo, but I'm not
an expert.

Anyone interested in getting some seeds? I wonder what the
restrictions would be for sending seeds to Florida, California
or some other states if someone from there wanted seeds?

Mysterious Traveler
West Texas



there is no native texas bamboo, there is one native american bamboo
found in southeast-- east of the Mississippi river
all other bamboos in US are imports

sounds like knotweed which is not a bamboo

Native Texas Bamboo
 

downhill wrote:
Mysterious Traveler wrote:
Today I stopped at a place outside of town where a large patch of
what looks to be a native Bamboo is growing. It's about twenty
feet tall, an inch in diameter and has seed heads at the top. We
are having a severe drought here but these look healthy and
couldn't be pulled out of the ground, so I cut off some seed heads
and will let them dry before I throw them around some places away
from the house.

Will these start growing in the winter if I throw seed out before
spring?

These don't appear to be running or clumping Bamboo, but I'm not
an expert.

Anyone interested in getting some seeds? I wonder what the
restrictions would be for sending seeds to Florida, California
or some other states if someone from there wanted seeds?

Mysterious Traveler
West Texas



there is no native texas bamboo, there is one native american bamboo
found in southeast-- east of the Mississippi river
all other bamboos in US are imports

sounds like knotweed which is not a bamboo
From the pictures on Google, it doesn't look anything like Knotweed.

It has the long tall segmented stalk like Bamboo, but it doesn't grow
in clumps, although it does grow in a stand, but there aren't any
runners that I could see.

Does Bamboo have seed heads at the top?

Mysterious Traveler

Native Texas Bamboo
 

echinosum wrote:
Mysterious Traveler;864263 Wrote:
These don't appear to be running or clumping Bamboo
If you exclude running and clumping, what other possibility is there?




Maybe it is clumping Bamboo, it's in large stands.
But as I said, I'm not an expert.

Mysterious Traveler

Native Texas Bamboo
 

echinosum wrote:
Mysterious Traveler;864263 Wrote:
These don't appear to be running or clumping Bamboo
If you exclude running and clumping, what other possibility is there?




Maybe it is clumping Bamboo, it's in large stands.
But as I said, I'm not an expert.

Mysterious Traveler

A "stand" sounds much the same as a "clump" to me - different bamboos are more tightly clumped than others. And even running bamboos grow in clumps, just that they send out runners to form remote clumps. The runners are generally underground so not visible. The wikipedia article on Arundinaria gigantea describes it as growing in large "stands". A. gigantea is a running bamboo.

And Arundinaria gigantea does grow naturally in Texas according to a number of sources I have found. This one is quite explicit. http://www.discoverlife.org/mp/20o?s...naria+gigantea

But, no, bamboo does not have seed heads at the top. It has the seeds along the side branches. Here's an example on this page. http://jizogarden.wordpress.com/2009/04/
Another example here
http://www.realoasis.net/?p=450

So maybe you found some A. gigantea. Or maybe what you have seen is some other kind of grass. There are other large grasses that have segmented stalks like bamboo, but have seeds clumped at the top.

Native Texas Bamboo
 

On Sat, 12 Sep 2009 15:24:28 -0500, Mysterious Traveler
wrote:

Today I stopped at a place outside of town where a large patch of
what looks to be a native Bamboo is growing. It's about twenty
feet tall, an inch in diameter and has seed heads at the top. We
are having a severe drought here but these look healthy and
couldn't be pulled out of the ground, so I cut off some seed heads
and will let them dry before I throw them around some places away
from the house.

Will these start growing in the winter if I throw seed out before
spring?

These don't appear to be running or clumping Bamboo, but I'm not
an expert.

Anyone interested in getting some seeds? I wonder what the
restrictions would be for sending seeds to Florida, California
or some other states if someone from there wanted seeds?

Mysterious Traveler
West Texas




It is probably Cane, Arundinaria sp. (syn Arundo sp)
If it is it, is a noxious weed in California. Even though the climate is
too dry for Cane to grow in most of California, it can be invasive
along riverbanks and other wet places.
--

09=ix

Native Texas Bamboo
 

Garrapata wrote:
On Sat, 12 Sep 2009 15:24:28 -0500, Mysterious Traveler
wrote:

Today I stopped at a place outside of town where a large patch of
what looks to be a native Bamboo is growing. It's about twenty
feet tall, an inch in diameter and has seed heads at the top. We
are having a severe drought here but these look healthy and
couldn't be pulled out of the ground, so I cut off some seed heads
and will let them dry before I throw them around some places away
from the house.
Will these start growing in the winter if I throw seed out before
spring?

These don't appear to be running or clumping Bamboo, but I'm not
an expert.

Anyone interested in getting some seeds? I wonder what the
restrictions would be for sending seeds to Florida, California
or some other states if someone from there wanted seeds?

Mysterious Traveler
West Texas




It is probably Cane, Arundinaria sp. (syn Arundo sp)
If it is it, is a noxious weed in California. Even though the climate is
too dry for Cane to grow in most of California, it can be invasive
along riverbanks and other wet places.

Cane... that sounds reasonable.

Google image search for Arundinaria sp showed some pictures
that look similar. When I drive to town in the next few days
I'll take pictures and post a link.

Mysterious Traveler
West Texas