Running Bamboo (Arundinaria spp)

Family: Poaceae | Edibility: Edible (3/5)

There are three recognized species of the genus Arundinaria accepted: Arundinaria appalachiana Triplett, Weakley & L.G.Clark – Hill cane, Arundinaria gigantea (Walt.) Muhl. – River cane, Arundinaria tecta Muhl. – Switch cane. Managed bamboo forest sequester more carbon than wild bamboo and the same as fast-growing tropical trees like eucalyptus.

Edible Parts & Harvest Seasons

Edible Parts: Nuts/Seeds, Shoots

Harvest Seasons: Early Summer, Fall, Late Summer, Spring

Flavor & Culinary Uses

Young shoots - cooked. Used as a pot-herb. Seed - cooked. It can be used as a wheat substitute, for which it is not much inferior, but it is rather small and difficult to collect in quantity. — Young shoots - cooked.; Used as a pot-herb.; It can be used as a wheat substitute, for which it is not much inferior, but it is rather small and difficult to collect in quantity.; The plants only flower at irregular intervals of several years.

Habitat & North American Range

Forms dense thickets along riverbanks, in swamps and low woods. Found on all types of soil; at elevations from sea level to 600 metres. (Zone 4, Zone 5, Zone 6, Zone 7, Zone 8, Zone 9, Zone 10)