Description

Hedge Bamboo (Bambusa multiplex) is a species of bamboo native to China, Nepal, Bhutan, Assam, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, and northern Indochina. It is also naturalized in Iraq, Madagascar, the Indian subcontinent, parts of South America, the West Indies, and the southeastern United States(Florida, Georgia, Alabama). B. multiplex forms a medium sized clump with slender culms (stems) and dense foliage. This bamboo is suitable for hedges and live fences since the stems and foliage form a dense growth that create an effective barrier. The height of the stems under ideal conditions is about 10 ft. Propagation is through rhizome offsets and rooted culm (stem) cuttings. Micro propagation too is feasible through axillary bud proliferation.

Characteristics:

Hedge Bamboo is a clumping 'dwarf' bamboo, but consider confining it. There are many cultivars. This plant has upright branches and is slightly arching. It prefers a loamy acidic, high organic matter moist soil.  It can withstand some shade or full sun. Propagating through using the culm in a stem cutting is one way to propagate this plant. Hedge Bamboo is an evergreen, clumping bamboo producing erect canes from 2 - 7 metres tall. The thin-walled canes are 10 - 30mm in diameter with internodes 20 - 40cm long. The plant is sometimes harvested for its edible young shoots and culms that are used for weaving, paper making etc. Plants are widely cultivated in the tropics as ornamentals and in hedges.

Uses:

Paper is made from the culms. The canes are too arched for good poles and there is too small a volume for significant pulp production, in spite of good fiber dimensions. The culms are up to 4cm in diameter. The canes split easily and are fairly flexible - they are used as a source of weaving material for mats, baskets and other household goods. The culms are often used as umbrella handles and for fishing poles. In Indonesia and Thailand they are also used to make handicrafts such as bookcases.