Common names: Tropical Blue Bamboo / Emperor’s Blue Bamboo / White Bamboo

Clumper or Runner: Clumper — non-invasive, open clumping bamboo.

Height / diameter / Internode: 8 – 12 m, occasionally up to 18 m / 3 – 7 cm / 30 – 45 cm, occasionally longer. Published botanical descriptions list culms around 5–10 m, occasionally 18 m, with 30–50 mm culms and internodes 30–45 cm, occasionally up to 100 cm.

Color / Leaf length / Branch: Powdery blue-white young culms, maturing green with a pale white bloom / narrow green leaves / branches higher up with a clean lower culm appearance. It is especially valued for its attractive blue-white culm bloom.

Potted/Garden/Commercial: Garden, estate, landscape, privacy screen, ornamental feature, windbreak, craft use. Better for larger gardens or open landscapes than small suburban beds because the mature clump can become broad.

Minimum Temperatures / Climate: Approximately −4°C to −6°C / tropical to subtropical, warm temperate in protected positions. Some nursery sources list around −4°C, while other grower references suggest occasional tolerance close to −6°C, but young shoots should be protected from frost.

Water needed yearly / Altitude / soil / pH: Medium to high water requirement / best in warm, humid, sheltered areas / well-drained sandy, loamy or clay soils / mildly acidic to mildly alkaline pH. It prefers moist soil and grows in sun to semi-shade.

Uses: Premium ornamental bamboo, privacy screening, living fence, windbreak, feature planting, garden landscaping, basketry, weaving, craft material and paper production. The long internodes and attractive culms make it especially useful as a decorative bamboo and for light craft applications.

Common name: Giant Thorny Bamboo / Indian Thorny Bamboo / Spiny Bamboo

Growth habit: Clumping bamboo

Height / Culm diameter / Internode length:
25–30 m, sometimes up to 35 m / 10–18 cm, sometimes larger in ideal conditions / 10–15 cm, sometimes longer depending on site conditions

Culm colour / Leaf length / Branching:
Green culms, often becoming dull green to grey-green with age / 12–18 cm leaves / many branches, with lower branches often thorny or spiny

Suitable for:
Commercial cultivation, farm boundary planting, windbreaks, erosion control and biomass production. Less suitable for small gardens because of its large, thorny clumps.

Minimum temperature / Climate:
Approximately −2°C to −3°C once established / Tropical to warm subtropical, preferably humid and wet tropical climates

Annual water requirement / Altitude / Soil / pH:
Approximately 1,000–2,500 mm rainfall or irrigation, performs best with good moisture / 0–1,250 m altitude / prefers rich, moist, well-drained alluvial, loamy or heavier soils / pH approximately 5.5–7.5

Main uses:
Strong construction poles, scaffolding, fencing, farm structures, house building, baskets, mats, paper pulp, edible young shoots, fuel, charcoal, biomass, erosion control, live fencing, windbreaks and protective boundary planting.

Important  note:
Bambusa bambos is a very strong commercial bamboo, but it is thorny.