Phyllostachys aurea Rivière & C. Rivière, Poaceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  no

Risk assessment results:  High risk, score: 9 (Go to the risk assessment)

Other Latin names:  Phyllostachys formosana Hayata

Common name(s): [more details]

Chinese: ren mian zhu

English: fish-pole bamboo, golden bamboo, walking stick bamboo

French: bambou jaune

Spanish: bambú amarillo

Habit:  shrub

Description:  "Open, sometimes tufted, monopodial bamboo.  Culm erect, straight, 2-8 (-12) m tall, 2-3 (-9) cm in diameter, wall 4-8 mm thick, green when young, golden-yellow when older; internodes 10-20 cm long, below the nodes white powdery waxy, the lower ones often irregularly shortened and swollen, thrusting the sheath scars into an irregularly slanted zigzag pattern; nodes prominent, lower ones close together and oblique, upper ones distant and horizontal, young sheath scars fringed with short white hairs.  Branches usually paired in the midculm part, unequal in thickness.  Culm sheath 12-18 cm long, promptly deciduous, when young green or light orange-yellow with purple-red or light green ribbed striations and brown spots, covered with short white hairs toward the base;  blade lanceolate to narrowly lanceolate, 3-6 cm long, erect or spreading, sometimes wrinkled; ligule 1-2 mm long, long ciliate at apex; auricles absent.  Young shoots light brownish-yellow, sometimes reddish, brownish spotted or dotted.  Leaf blade lanceolate, 5-15 cm x 5-20 mm, glabrous to densely soft-hairy, margins spinulose-scabrous; sheath 2.5-3.5 cm long, minutely soft hairy when young, glabrous with age, sparsely ciliolate along the margins; ligule 1 mm long, long ciliate; auricles rudimentary or lacking, when present bearing 0-3 bristles.  Inflorescences borne on leafy or leafless branches, occupying nearly the whole culm; spikelet 18-25 mm long, usually with 1 papery glume and 2 fertile florets.  Caryopsis linear-lanceolate in outline, 6-8 mm x 1.5-2.0 mm, grooved on back, style persistent" (Dransfield & Widjaja, 1995; pp. 129-130).

Description from GrassBase.

Habitat/ecology:  "Small natural forests of P. aurea occur in southeastern China from low altitudes up to 1000 m and up to 2000 m in southwestern China.  P. aurea is frost hardy, and will tolerate up to -10 (-18)§C.  It grows best on rich, deep and well-drained sandy soils.  In Indonesia it mostly grows in the highlands above 700 m altitude but plants grown in the lowland have shorter and smaller culms.  In the Philippines it grows very well in Baguio at 1500 m altitude with average temperatures of 18-26§C.  Because P. aurea has a leptomorph rhizome system, it can be an invasive bamboo if not well controlled" Dransfield & Widjaja, 1995; pp. 129-130).

Propagation:  Seed, but only rarely or occasionally flowers.  Local spread is usually by rhizomes.  Commonly reproduced by clump division and planted as an ornamental (Dransfield & Widjaja, 1995; pp. 129-130).

Native range:  "Temperate and tropical southern China and Japan.  It has been introduced into most countries of the world and is often grown as an ornamental, even in temperate climates.  In some countries it has also naturalized, e.g. in Indonesia (Merapi Mountain in Central Java)"  (Dransfield & Widjaja, 1995; pp. 129-130).

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Ecuador (Galápagos Islands) Santa Cruz Group	Santa Cruz Island	introduced cultivated	Charles Darwin Foundation (2008)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	O‘ahu Island	introduced invasive	Staples, George W./Imada, Clyde T./Herbst, Derral R. (2002) (p. 14) Vouchers cited: G. Staples & D. Herbst 880 (BISH), G. Staples, D. Herbst & S. Medbury 883 (BISH) Naturalized, extensive thicket.
Japan (offshore islands) Ogasawara (Bonin) Islands	Bonin (Ogasawara) Islands	introduced	Kato, Hidetoshi (2007)
New Zealand (offshore islands) Kermadec Islands	Raoul Island	introduced invasive	Sykes, W. R./West, C. J. (1996) (p. 458)
New Zealand (offshore islands) Kermadec Islands	Raoul Island	introduced invasive	Edgar, E./Connor, H. (2000) (p. 26)

Pacific Rim
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Australia Australia (continental)	Queensland	introduced invasive	Queensland Herbarium (2002) (p. 6)
China China	China (People's Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
China China	Hong Kong	introduced cultivated	Wu, Te-lin (2001) (p. 344) Ornamental.
New Zealand New Zealand	New Zealand (country)	introduced invasive	Sykes, W. R./West, C. J. (1996) (p. 458)
New Zealand New Zealand	New Zealand (country)	introduced invasive	Edgar, E./Connor, H. (2000) (p. 26)
United States (west coast) United States (west coast states)	USA (Oregon)	introduced	U.S. Dept. Agr., Nat. Res. Cons. Serv. (2013)
United States (west coast) United States (west coast states)	USA (California)	introduced	U.S. Dept. Agr., Nat. Res. Cons. Serv. (2013)

Indian Ocean
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
La Réunion (France) La Réunion Island	La Réunion Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Lavergne, Christophe (2006) "Cultivé/naturalisé"

Also reported from
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
United States (continental except west coast) United States (other states)	United States (other states)	introduced	U.S. Dept. Agr., Nat. Res. Cons. Serv. (2013)
United States (continental except west coast) United States (other states)	USA (Florida)	introduced	U.S. Dept. Agr., Nat. Res. Cons. Serv. (2013)

Control:  If you know of control methods for Phyllostachys aurea, please let us know.