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Giant Japanese Timber Bamboo (Phyllostachys bambusoides): The Classic 'Madake' for Timber

Overview

Giant Japanese Timber Bamboo, known as 'Madake', is the most important timber bamboo in Japan. It is a giant running bamboo with straight, thick-walled culms reaching 50-70 feet tall and 4-6 inches in diameter. The wood is exceptionally strong and used for construction, furniture, crafts, and musical instruments (shakuhachi flutes).

Taxonomy & Nomenclature

Family:	Poaceae (poh-AY-see-ee)
Genus:	Phyllostachys (fy-lo-STAK-iss)
Species:	bambusoides (bam-BOO-soy-deez)

Cultivation & Uses

USDA zones 7-10; full sun to part shade; deep, rich, moist, well-drained soil. **Running bamboo** – requires substantial rhizome barrier. Allow ample space for its massive size. Young shoots are edible. A majestic grove-forming bamboo for large properties. Many cultivars exist, including 'Castillonis' (yellow with green grooves) and 'Holochrysa' (all gold).

Grasses and Bamboo: Black Bamboo (Phyllostachys nigra); Giant Bamboo (Dendrocalamus asper); Giant Timber Bamboo (Bambusa oldhamii); Giant Bamboo (Dendrocalamus giganteus): Towering Tropical Timber Bamboo; Giant Thorny Bamboo (Bambusa bambos): Impenetrable Tropical Clumping Bamboo; Robust Fargesia (Fargesia robusta): A Tall, Clumping Bamboo for Screening; Dwarf Bamboo (Dendrocalamus minor): A Small, Clumping Tropical Bamboo; Bamboo (Gigantochloa pseudoarundinacea); Bamboo (Fargesia denudata); Bamboo (Bambusa arnhemica)

Garden Articles

Hardy Bamboo (Fargesia rufa)

Running Bamboo (Phyllostachys vivax)

Monastery Bamboo (Thyrsostachys siamensis): Elegant Clumping Bamboo for Warm Climates

Giant Foxtail (Setaria faberi): Tall Annual Grass with Distinctive Seed Heads

Bamboo 'Kimmei' (Semiarundinaria yashadake): Variegated Running Bamboo with Sulcate Culms

Marbled Bamboo (Chimonobambusa marmorea): Rare Running Bamboo with Marbled Culms

Common Bamboo (Bambusa vulgaris): The Classic Tropical Clumping Bamboo

Plants

Beechey Bamboo (Bambusa beecheyana): Large Tropical Clumper with Edible Shoots

Bamboo 'Kimmei' (Semiarundinaria yashadake): Variegated Running Bamboo with Yellow Sulcus

Marbled Bamboo (Chimonobambusa marmorea): Rare Running Bamboo with Marbled Culms

Common Bamboo (Bambusa vulgaris): Giant Tropical Clumping Bamboo

Male Bamboo (Dendrocalamus strictus): Solid-Culmed Tropical Clumper for Timber

Bengal Bamboo (Bambusa tulda): Strong Tropical Clumper for Construction

Bamboo 'Shiroshima' (Hibanobambusa tranquillans): A Striking, Variegated Bamboo for Shade