Bamboo species

[Don Case]

I was at the garden center and I saw a bamboo plant "Fargesia scabrida". The canes were very round and straight and the nodes were small. Unfortunately the plants were small so I couldn't get an idea of how they would be when they got bigger. I looked it up and the canes grow to 15' tall and 3/4" diameter so they sound like a good choice for arrows. Has anyone had any experience with this species?

[Don Case]

No one??  I did a little more looking and apparently(according to Wkipedea) the Japanese Chinese name for Fargesia is 'Arrow bamboo'. There may be a hint there.

[PrimitiveTim]

It's probably good.  I think it's a running bamboo and not a clumping species so before you put it in the ground make sure you will be able to contain it.  Once it's in then it is very hard to take out.  I'd do some research about that kind of stuff before I put it on my land.  Even in thick brush it will begin to spread and take over if it's the same stuff that I raid and use for arrows.

[Pat B]

Japanese arrow bamboo makes good arrows but it is a bit light weight. If you would like to try some first I can send you a few canes.
 Japanese arrow bamboo can be invasive if you plant it unless you contain it somehow.

[Don Case]

Fargesia is a clumping type bamboo. I was wrong when I said Japanese arrow bamboo. It's Chinese arrow bamboo    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fargesia   It's a fairly new import. It seemed stiff to me but the ones I saw were only about 1/8' dia. I'm going to check out a few garden centers today. Maybe I can find a big clump and cut and split a cane to see what it's like.