Giant Leaf Bamboo

Indocalamus Tessellatus 'Giant Leaf Bamboo' is an extremely hardy semi-dwarf species that is great for a privacy screen for 8 to 10 feet. This species is also used in many countries for erosion control along flood plains. It adapts well to all planting sites and grows very well as an under-story species with any of the larger bamboo. The bamboo does best in a shaded site, making it a great option for an indoor container plant. It has the largest leaves of any bamboo in cultivation in the U.S., they can be up to 26in X 5in and have many uses. For example, Chinese and Japanese have used them in cooking by wrapping food in them prior to steaming. They also are currently being used in floral arrangements. One of our groves has reached 12 feet in height along the riverside of the grove. It has thousands of rhizomes (roots) hanging over in the water picking up just whatever water it needs throughout our hot summer months. On new plantings, this species will get leaf damage at around 0 to 5 degrees F. On older established groves it will remain evergreen to -10 with very little foliage damage.