Pleioblastus gramineus Poaceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  no

Other Latin names:  Pleioblastus gramineus (Bean) Nakai; Arundinaria hindsii var. graminea Bean

Common name(s): [more details]

English: bamboo

Habit:  grass

Description:  "Culms erect, straight, 3-5 m tall, 0.5-2 cm in diameter, glabrous; internodes 10-25 cm long; nodes rather prominent; branches usually 2-3 per node at first, then numerous in clusters in age.  Culm-sheaths deciduous, coriaceous sparsely hairy or nearly glabrous, densely fimbriate along the margins;  sheath-auricles inconspicuous; sheath-ligule conspicuous, rounded; sheath-blade linear or broadly linear, acute, glabrous, entire.  Leaves 5-11, narrowly lanceolate or broadly linear, 10-30 cm long, 5-17 mm broad, sharply tapered at apex, cuneate at base, densely spinulose-scabrous along one margin, sparsely so or entire along the other, veins 2-4, veinlets 5, tessellate; petioles 1-2 mm long; leaf-auricles inconspicuous; leaf-ligule convex, rounded, toothed; leaf-sheaths 2.5-4 cm long, glabrous.  Spikelets broadly linear, 4-8 cm long, 5-8 mm in diameter; glumes 2, ovate-lanceolate; lemmas similar to glumes, but broader, 8-12 mm long, 3.5-5 mm wide, veins 11, margins entire; paleas 7-10 mm long, bilobed at apex, veins 2 between the keels and 2 between each keel and edge, densely hairy on the keels; gynoecium 4.5 mm long; ovary vase-shaped, 2 mm long, glabrous, with 3 vascular strands seen in cross-section; style short, ending in 3 feathery stigmas; stamens 3, filaments long, anthers 6.5 mm long; lodicules 3, ovate-oblong, 2.5 mm long, hairy along upper margins.  Fruit fusiform, 7-8 mm long, dark brown" (Li et al., 1976; pp. 713, 715).

"Rhizomes short; culms in tufts, erect, 3-5 m long, 5-20 mm in diameter; culm-sheaths at first sparsely setose, soon glabrate; branches with densely arranged branchlets; prophylla short, ascending-hirsute; leaves 4-6, the blades narrowly lanceolate to linear, 10-30 cm long, 8-20 mm wide, caudately acuminate; leaf-sheaths glabrous, usually without oral bristles; spikelets 1-3, 3-5 cm long, less than 10-flowered; lemma about 10 mm long; palea hirsute with spreading hairs on the keels" (Ohwi, 1965; pp. 137-138).

Description from GrassBase.

Habitat/ecology:  "One of the few hardy bamboos that love the shade. A fairly rapid rambler, not recommended for smaller gardens without barriers to contain its vitality" (Farrelly, 1984; pp. 161-162).

Propagation:  Seed

Native range:  Native to mainland China and the Ryukyus. Introduced to Taiwan where it is commonly planted for ornamental purposes (Li et al., 1976; pp. 713, 715).

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Cook Islands Southern Cook Islands	‘Atiu Island	introduced invasive	McCormack, Gerald (2013) Naturalized
Cook Islands Southern Cook Islands	‘Atiu Island		Sykes, Bill (year unknown)
Japan (offshore islands) Ogasawara (Bonin) Islands	Bonin (Ogasawara) Islands	introduced	Kato, Hidetoshi (2007) As Pleioblastus gramineus (Bean) Nakai

Pacific Rim
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
China China	China (People's Republic of)	native	Li, Hui-lin/Liu, Tang-shui/Huang, Tseng-chieng/Koyama, Tetsuo/DeVol, Charles E., eds. (1978) (p. 715)
China China	Hong Kong	introduced cultivated	Wu, Te-lin (2001) (p. 323) Ornamental.
Japan Ryukyu Islands	Ryukyu Islands	native	Li, Hui-lin/Liu, Tang-shui/Huang, Tseng-chieng/Koyama, Tetsuo/DeVol, Charles E., eds. (1978) (p. 715)
Taiwan Taiwan Island	Taiwan Island	introduced cultivated	Li, Hui-lin/Liu, Tang-shui/Huang, Tseng-chieng/Koyama, Tetsuo/DeVol, Charles E., eds. (1978) (p. 715)

Control:  If you know of control methods for Pleioblastus gramineus, please let us know.