Arrow Bamboo (Pseudosasa japonica) — identification, habitat & look-alikes

Arrow bamboo is an Asian bamboo with broad, glossy leaves and upright olive-green canes. In the United States, arrow bamboo is planted as a garden screen, but it spreads by underground stems and can form dense thickets that crowd out native plants.

Appearance

Appearance: The olive-green canes are up to about 0.6 in (1.5 cm) thick. An outer covering often remains wrapped around the cane, and most cane joints carry one main branch.
Growth form: This running bamboo usually stands 10–16 ft (3–5 m) tall and can form a dense thicket.
Leaves: Smooth leaf blades are about 6–15 in (15–37 cm) long, dark green above, and paler below.

Look-alikes

Switch CaneArundinaria tecta

Both keep outer coverings on their canes and often have one main branch at a cane joint. Close leaf photos can show arrow bamboo’s smooth blades versus the hairier switch cane (Arundinaria tecta); whole-plant photos may not separate them reliably.

Why they get mixed upThese are similar cane-forming bamboos in the Mid-Atlantic.

Black BambooPhyllostachys nigra

Mature black forms of black bamboo (Phyllostachys nigra) turn purple-brown to black and usually have two branches at joints midway up the cane. Arrow bamboo keeps olive-green canes, usually has one main branch, and retains its outer coverings. Young black bamboo canes can still be green.

Why they get mixed upBoth are cultivated running bamboos.

Three bamboos in eastern gardens

	Mature cane	Branches	Leaf close-up
Arrow Bamboo	olive-green	usually one	smooth blade
Switch Cane	green	usually one	hairier blade
Black Bamboo	black in dark forms	usually two	check dark cane and branch count

Where it lives

Typical habitats: garden screens
managed landscapes
Range: It is native to Korea and Japan and introduced in many parts of the United States, especially as an ornamental.
Preferred conditions: It tolerates full sun or shade and grows best in fertile, moist but well-drained soil.

Growing it

Care: An underground barrier or regular edge control may be needed because the plant can spread well beyond its intended screen.
Propagation: It spreads mainly by and can also be divided in spring.

Name and classification

About the name: Older references may list this plant as Arundinaria japonica or Bambusa metake.

Conservation

IUCN Red List: NENot EvaluatedNot yet assessed
Threats: Dense stands can crowd out native vegetation and make access difficult in invaded natural areas.

Culture and stories

Culture and stories: The common name refers to the traditional use of its straight, stiff canes for arrow shafts in Japan.

13 sources