Bambusa ventricosa Common Name: Buddha Belly
Bambusa vulgaris or Common Bamboo is a giant tropical and subtropical clumping bamboo native to southern China and Madagascar. This species is cultivated extensively in many parts of the world.
Maximum Height: 55 feet
Container Height: 5 to 15 ft?
Diameter: 2 inches
Hardiness: 21° F
When grown in a container and stressed for water, this bamboo grows with short fattened culms, which give this bamboo its common name. When grown outdoors with plenty of water, this bamboo can become quite large. The American Bamboo society lists the hardiness to 15°F, but we don't recommend this bamboo as an outdoor plant for any area that has significant frost.
Branches: Several to many clustered branches with 1-3 larger dominant branches. Branches usually occur from mid-culm to top.
Leaves: Narrow leaves which are on average 15-25 cm long and 2-4 cm wide.
Habitat: Bambusa vulgaris often occurs spontaneously or naturalized on river banks, roadsides, wastelands and open ground, generally at low altitudes. In cultivation it grows very vigorous on moist soil and under humid conditions but tolerates a wide range of climatic conditions and soil types up to 1,200 m altitude. In dry season the bamboo plants may become completely defoliated but recuperate once rainy season starts. This bamboo species can survive low temperatures up to -3°C and has a high adaptation to semi-arid areas, and on degraded and flooded lands.
Uses: Bambusa vulgaris is widely planted and used for a variety of purposes, primarily for use in light construction such as houses, huts, boats (masts, rudders, outriggers, boating poles), fences, scaffolding, furniture, musical instruments and handicrafts.
Culms are also used as carrying poles or banana plant supports. Split stems are used for brooms, baskets, and rings prepared from the split culms are put into ear perforations by the Tunkul-Naga tribes of Manipur. In New Guinea culms are used to make traditional combs and penis gourds ('koteka') in the phallocrypt tradition
bambusa ventricosa is also called belly bamboo with very special trunk, green trunk and very good for landscaping trees in sub-tropical or tropical area
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