Food Plants International - Plant Fact Sheets Bambusa blumeana - Spiny Bamboo, Thorny Bamboo
Edible Portion: Shoots, Vegetable
A spiny tufted bamboo. It grows up to 25 m high. The stems are 20 cm across. The internodes are usually hollow and from 40 to 60 cm long. The lower internodes are so thick walled they are almost solid. It grows in large clumps and the lower portion to 2 to 3 m is interlaced with spiny branches. The stems are smooth and green. Branches arise from the nodes. The culm sheath is 30 cm long by 22 cm wide. The back is covered with stiff hairs. The leaf blade is narrow and sword shaped. It is 15 cm long by 1.5 cm wide. Young shoots have yellowish green sheaths and blades. Plants flower very rarely. It may only flower every 20-30 years. The plants die after flowering.