About
Chusquea gigantea is a towering bamboo that can create expansive clumps, reaching widths of 4 meters and heights exceeding 15 meters under optimal conditions. The sturdy canes, which can grow up to 6 centimeters in diameter, feature a distinctive striped pattern with green bands encircling the nodes and a yellow-green hue in the sections between. The leaves are a mid-green color, measuring as long as 12 centimeters and exhibiting a narrow, lance-like shape.
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, West-facing, East-facing
- Exposure
- Sheltered
- UK hardiness
- H4
Plant details
- Plant type
- Bamboos
- Habit
- Clump forming
- Foliage
- Evergreen
- Height
- Higher than 12 metres
- Spread
- 2.5-4 metres
- Time to full height
- 5-10 years
- Suggested uses
- Architectural
- Native to
- Chile
Care notes
- Cultivation
- Grow in a moist but well-drained, fertile soil in full sun and water well in dry spells; see bamboo cultivation for further information
- 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 or by removing sections of rhizomes with a stem and root, in spring
- Pest resistance
- Generally pest-free
- Disease resistance
- Generally disease-free