Giant bamboo, Sweet bamboo
A tropical bamboo. In tropical Asia it grows from sea level to 1500 m altitude. It does best between 400-500 m altitude. It grows best on heavy soils with good drainage. It is found in Makiling Forest in Laguna in the Philippines at lower elevations and also in Mindanao.In the Cairns Botanical Gardens. In XTBG Yunnan. It suits hardiness zones 9-12.
Also known as:
Au betun, Awi bitung, Bambu betung, Bambu cetong, Betung, Bitoong Bamboo, Bukawe, Buloh Betong, Buloh panching, Buluh batung, Deling petung, Hok, Jajang betung, Kuur, Kyalu-wa, Manh tong, Petunu, Phai-tong, Pring betung, Soon, Sun, Tre manh tong, Zhu Sun
Synonyms
- Bambusa aspera Schult. & Schult. f.
- Dendrocalamus flagellifer Munro
- Dendrocalamus merrillianus (Elmer) Elmer
- Gigantochloa aspera (Schult. & Schult. f.) Kurz
Edible Portion
- Shoots
Where does Giant bamboo grow?
Found in: Africa, Asia, Australia, Benin, Central Africa, China, Congo, East Africa, East Timor, Ghana, India, Indochina, Indonesia, Kenya, Laos, Madagascar, Malaysia, Myanmar, Pacific, Papua New Guinea, PNG, Philippines, SE Asia, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, Timor-Leste, United States, Vietnam, West Africa
Notes: There are about 29 Dendrocalamus species. Most bamboo shoots contain hydrogen cyanide which is destroyed on cooking.
Status: It is a cultivated food plant.
Growing Giant bamboo, Sweet bamboo
Cultivation: It can be grown from rhizomes, culm or branch cuttings. The spacing is 5-10 m apart. Mulching is essential to produce young shoots.
Edible Uses: The tender shoots are eaten as a vegetable or pickled in vinegar or salted. The shoots are harvested before they emerge from the soil. The shoots have good canning quality.
Production: The shoots emerge in the rainy season. They develop to their full height in one year. A good healthy clump can produce several shoots each year. A good clump with 10 culms can produce 60 shoots in one year. The edible portion of young shoots is 5.4 kg before peeling and 1.8 kg after peeling. A well established plantation can produce 10 tonnes/ha/yr or edible shoots.
Nutrition Info
per 100g edible portion| Edible Part | Energy (kcal) | Protein (g) | Iron (mg) | Vitamin A (ug) | Vitamin c (mg) | Zinc (mg) | % Water |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shoots | 17 | 2.5 | - | - | - | - |
Giant bamboo, Sweet bamboo Photos
References
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