Plants of the UNF Campus
Arundinaria gigantea - Wild cane
Family Poaceae
Description:
This is a large genus of over 100 species found in Asia and North America. Wild
cane is a type of bamboo native to north Florida
and the eastern United States.
As a group, bamboos are important sources of food (bamboo shoots) and building
materials. Wild cane is found in moist sites, in the open or along a woodland
edge. The tall subspecies can grow to over twenty feet tall. It is a
stoloniferous plant that spreads rapidly in a suitable environment. Like other
bamboos, a colony may die after flowering. Where the stems grow large, they are
harvested for use as poles and have been used commercially in the manufacture
of fishing poles. Reports of uses by native Americans includes the manufacture
of homes, rafts, bows and arrows, blow guns, spears, flutes, woven items like
mats and baskets, the seeds ground as flour, and treatments for a variety of
ailments.
Location:
See plants along the nature trails by Lake Oneida.
Size:
A woody grass that grows from five to twenty feet tall.
Care Instructions:
Light: full sun to part shade
Water: not drought tolerant, a moist or irrigated site is necessary
Soil: poorly drained soil
The local form is the smaller subspecies, typically reaching
about five to six feet tall. This native plant grows well in a wet, sunny to
partly shaded site. It is best suited for a naturalistic garden.
Arundinaria gigantea
Wild cane
Poaceae
This is a large genus of over 100 species found in Asia and North America. Wild
cane is a type of bamboo native to north Florida
and the eastern United States.
As a group, bamboos are important sources of food (bamboo shoots) and building
materials. Wild cane is found in moist sites, in the open or along a woodland
edge. The tall subspecies can grow to over twenty feet tall. It is a
stoloniferous plant that spreads rapidly in a suitable environment. Like other
bamboos, a colony may die after flowering. Where the stems grow large, they are
harvested for use as poles and have been used commercially in the manufacture
of fishing poles. Reports of uses by native Americans includes the manufacture
of homes, rafts, bows and arrows, blow guns, spears, flutes, woven items like
mats and baskets, the seeds ground as flour, and treatments for a variety of
ailments.
See plants along the nature trails by Lake Oneida.
A woody grass that grows from five to twenty feet tall.
full sun to part shade
not drought tolerant, a moist or irrigated site is necessary
poorly drained soil
The local form is the smaller subspecies, typically reaching
about five to six feet tall. This native plant grows well in a wet, sunny to
partly shaded site. It is best suited for a naturalistic garden.
