Phyllostachys edulis
Common name: Moso bamboo · Tortoise-shell bamboo · Mao zhu
Phyllostachys edulis is a giant temperate timber bamboo native to China and Taiwan, and the largest of the hardy running bamboos. Young culms emerge with a velvety coat of soft hairs and mature to a dull blue-green, rising to towering heights beneath a light canopy of small leaves. It is the most commercially important bamboo in the world, grown across vast plantations for timber, pulp, and textiles, and its edible spring shoots (the epithet edulis means 'edible') are the main source of bamboo shoots in Asian cuisine. In gardens it is valued as a fast, majestic screen but needs room or containment for its running rhizomes.
Care summary
Sun
Full sun to partial shade
Water
Keep evenly moist while establishing; tolerates some drought once mature but grows best with regular water
Soil
Deep, fertile, moist but well-drained loam; slightly acidic preferred
Hardiness
Zones 6–10
Mature height
20–28 m (65–92 ft) in ideal conditions; often much less in cultivation
Pet safe
Generally considered non-toxic to cats and dogs
Difficulty
Moderate
Propagation
By rhizome or culm division in early spring; slow to establish from seed
Fun facts
- Moso is the largest temperate bamboo on Earth, forming nearly half of all bamboo forest area in China.
- New culms can rocket up remarkably fast — under good conditions moso shoots can grow close to a meter in a single day.
- Its tender spring shoots are the primary source of the edible bamboo shoots sold fresh and canned worldwide.
- Introduced to Japan in the 18th century, it now covers huge managed plantations that supply timber, paper pulp, textiles, and charcoal.