Japanese Kntweed (Not a bamboo) Fallopia japonica (syn.Polygonum cuspidatum)

[Guest]

Hi everyone,
Has anyone heard of Japanese Bamboo?
I live in Iowa, and have some of the stuff growing in my back yard.
I find the stuff interesting, and have been wondering if there are any uses for the plant.
I know very little about bamboo in general, other than it was a plant usually grown in the far east countries.
If anyone has heard of or know of some where to find information about the uses of Japanese Bamboo please let me know.

Thanks, Bob

[Mark Meckes]

Hi Bob,
Firstly, let's see if we can determine if it's actually a bamboo.
There is a plant in the US that has a common name of Japanese Knotweed, sometimes referred as bamboo.
This is not a true bamboo but is actually Fallopia japonica (Syn. Polygonum cuspidatum)
It can grow to 10 ft tall and has broad leaves that are almost heart-shaped.
It gets greenish-white clusters of small flowers during mid-summer.
It dies back in the winter, and the dried stalks have the appearance of bamboo, with nodal rings.
It is quite brittle by the spring, and can be broken up quite easily.
I've heard of people using it, if harvested in the late fall, and dried, to make simple musical instruments, but it has nowhere the strength of true
bamboo.
Apparently the shoots can be eaten in the spring when small, if they are boiled, and the water is changed twice.
Let us know if you think this is the plant you are referring to before we try and figure out what kind of true bamboo it might be.

Mark

[Guest]

Hello Mark,
Bingo, you hit the nail on the head. Your discription of the plant fits it like a tee.
I liked the flowers in the late summer because I was a bee keeper 15 years ago, and they gave the bees a lot of nector to work on when most everything had quit blooming. But I got out of bee keeping, and am looking for other uses for the plant.

You mentioned it doesn't have the strength of real bamboo. That I am quite sure of. I don't have any experience with real bamboo.

Is there real bamboo that can grow in this climate, Iowa?

If you can help me with these questions, I'd appreciate it.

Bob

PS. Regarding the Japanese bamboo that I already have, is there any use for it, other than making pops and bangs in a fire when it burns?

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Editors Note:Go to this Thread for Bamboo craft species for extreme cold climates (http://www.bamboocraft.net/forums/showthread.php?t=358)