About
Chusquea culeou, in its small or dwarf form, is a robust evergreen bamboo that develops extensive, compact clumps of sturdy, olive-green canes. These stems typically reach heights of 2.5 to 3.5 meters or more and are adorned with short, horizontal branches that bear narrow, lanceolate leaves, which can grow up to 6 centimeters long and are a medium shade of green.
About the genus
Chusquea consists of evergreen bamboos that develop in dense clusters, characterized by their smooth, shiny, and solid stems. Each node features three primary branches that extend freely, producing abundant small, dark green leaves.
Growing conditions
- Sunlight
- Full sun, Partial shade
- Soil type
- Loam
- Soil pH
- Acid, Alkaline, Neutral
- Soil moisture
- Moist but well-drained
- Aspect
- South-facing, East-facing, West-facing
- Exposure
- Sheltered
- UK hardiness
- H4
Plant details
- Plant type
- Bamboos
- Habit
- Suckering
- Foliage
- Evergreen
- Height
- 4-8 metres
- Spread
- 1.5-2.5 metres
- Time to full height
- 5-10 years
- Suggested uses
- Architectural
- Native to
- Chile & Argentina
Care notes
- Cultivation
- Grow in fertile, humus-rich, leafy, moist but well-drained soil in sun or partial shade, sheltered from cold, dry winds.
- Pruning
- Remove weak, dead, damaged or spindly stems in spring and to show off stems to best effect. Cut out any flowering shoots promptly to discourage more from forming - see bamboo cultivation
- Propagation
- Propagate by seed, division or by removing sections of rhizomes with a stem and root, in spring
- Pest resistance
- May be susceptible to slugs
- Disease resistance
- Generally disease-free