Arundinaria gigantea – River Cane; Canebrake Bamboo

General Information: The largest member of the only native Bamboo genus in the United States. The groves, or “Canebrakes” (from the word “brake”, meaning “thicket”) of this species once covered vast areas of fertile river bottom land in the pre-colonial US. A single Canebrake could be 2 or 3 miles wide and 100 miles long, effectively creating their own ecosystem. Overgrazing by ruminants and rooting by pigs effectively destroyed most Canebrakes. Since these plants occupied fertile lands and were relatively easy to clear with these animals, most of the former Canebrakes are now farmland. Compared to their historical size, only small remnants of these Canebrake ecosystems exist today. Soil erosion in the Southeast due to extensive farming practices can also be attributed to the removal of River Cane. The plants are extremely useful for combating soil erosion along stream banks and river sides, and they are also being studied as a bioaccumulator for removing toxins in contaminated soils. Rugged, cold-hardy, and adaptable, River Cane is useful as a hedge, screen, or windbreak plant. The young shoots of this species are of good quality for eating, and the mature culms (canes) are sturdy and useful for stakes and other purposes. The plants also furnish excellent cover for birds and other wildlife and food for browsing animals. Indigenous Peoples also use River Cane extensively for various purposes, including weaving, construction, food, and medicine.

Edible Qualities: Shoots may be peeled and boiled, prepared similarly to Phyllostachys Bamboo shoots. Their flavor is somewhat acrid when raw, but becomes very agreeable after boiling. The seeds may be used as a Wheat substitute. They are often not produced in any great quantity and are irresistible to most birds and small mammals, but when they are available they may be eaten raw or cooked.

Cultivation Details:  One of the first Bamboos we acquired, this species has been in the ground here since about 1975. Although the name suggests they are water-dependent, these plants have succeeded on our farm for decades in moist soils some distance from the waterways here. Compared to our other Bamboo species, we have observed that River Cane has been slow to develop and spread here. What’s more, River Cane usually sends up new growth in mid to late summer (as opposed to spring with Phyllostachys). While the current climate of Massachusetts is agreeable for this species, the daylight hours differ from those in their natural range. As a result, when shoots emerge in August and September, they often do not get a chance to fully leaf out before winter. Often these half-hardened shoots enter dormancy during late fall and winter and fully develop in May the following year. The tallest River Canes we have are currently about 18 feet tall. This species has been the hardiest of the large Bamboos that we have tested outdoors here. The leaves are usually killed when wind chills reach -10°F to -12°F for several nights in a row. During the winter of 2022-2023, we experienced one night at these temperatures and the River Cane remained green. We have seen the canes withstand cold snaps to -16°F. Although the leaves dropped at this temperature, they fully re-emerged in spring and the culms were uninjured. At -19°F, some culms were injured or killed but some survived with little injury. In a sheltered location, their cold hardiness may be even lower. Small plants may not be as cold-hardy, though. We have seen the cold hardiness of our groves improve with age. Similar to the closely related Switch Cane (A. tecta), this species will benefit from periodic, controlled burns.

Our grove of Arundinaria gigantea has been flowering periodically since planting, occasionally setting seed, and has been blooming yearly since 2020. Our other Bamboo varieties (Phyllostachys species) are monocarpic, meaning they flower once and then die. Phyllostachys Bamboo only flowers once every hundred or so years, after which an entire grove, or sometimes an entire species, will die off. Arundinaria appears to not be monocarpic, with our stands of River Cane and Switch Cane (Arundinaria tecta) regularly flowering and setting seed. So far, the vigor of these groves does not appear to have been affected by flowering. For this or other bamboo species that are in flower, we try to maintain good levels of nutrients (especially nitrogen) in the soil to encourage vegetative growth and discourage flowering. The use of fertilizers during Bamboo flowering is not agreed upon by all growers, however, and we recommend that if they are applied, it be in moderation. Too much fertilizer could be more harmful than too little with a flowering Bamboo plant.

Growing Requirements: Plant in full sun to part shade. Succeeds in any moist to wet soil. Prefers a sheltered position, especially in colder regions. Allow canes to fully leaf out in their pots before planting, which may take up to 90 days. Mature plants can be put in the ground at any time of the year. Water daily for the first summer in well-drained soils. Plants that mature in late summer or fall can be planted up until one month before the ground is expected to freeze (mid-October to early November in Southern New England). Suitable for mildly acidic, neutral, and mildly alkaline soils.

Fun Facts: US-native Bamboo in the Arundinaria genus can be differentiated from non-native Phyllostachys Bamboo in several ways: the culms (canes) of Arundinaria are rounder and do not typically have a prominent sulcus (groove) along the internode where the branches emerge, the culm sheaths of Arundinaria persist on the culms for much longer than those of Phyllostachys (especially in colder climates where chilly weather slows the shooting process), the ends of the branches tend to have a distinctive “top knot” of leaves, and Arundinaria species will often have 3 or more branchlets, whereas Phyllostachys has 2 or rarely 3. In pre-colonial times, herds of Bison would swim across the Mississippi River in winter, when food was scarce on the prairies, to feed in the huge, lush Canebrakes of Kentucky and Tennessee. Many other animal species are dependent on River Cane as well. It is interesting to note that during the year 2000, Cardinals were regular, conspicuous visitors to our Canebrake grove throughout the growing season, and quite late into the fall. Almost certainly they were there to feed on the nutritious seeds, which are about the size of a grain of Wheat. Cardinals and River Cane are both natives of the Southeast and suffice it to say they go back a long way together. Neither Cardinals nor River Cane were originally present in Massachusetts; both are naturalized residents here. As Cardinals are non-migratory, it has likely been a long time since our local Cardinal population or any of their ancestors encountered River Cane seeds. Yet, when our River Cane began to produce seeds, the Cardinals quickly recognized them as food. Other birds feed on the seeds also, but not as prevalently as the Cardinal population. We suspect the cold hardiness of River Cane owes to the plant’s historical range toward the end of the last Ice Age. During this era, areas of the Southern and Central US, where the plants still may be found, were considerably colder than they are today.