Not the plant you're looking for? Search over 300,000 plants

Bamboos

Chusquea cumingii

Very rare in cultivation, a dense, evergreen mounded clump-forming bamboo about 4m tall, with thin arching canes giving it a vine-like habit, and small, sharply pointed, linear blue-green leaves to 8cm long

Save to My plants

Ultimate height

2.5–4 metres

Time to ultimate height

5–10 years

Ultimate spread

2.5–4 metres

Loam

Moisture

Moist but well–drained

pH

Acid, Alkaline, Neutral

	Stem	Flower	Foliage	Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Full sun
Partial shade

Aspect

East–facing or South–facing or West–facing

Exposure

Sheltered

Hardiness
Hardiness ratings
All ratings refer to the UK growing conditions unless otherwise stated. Minimum temperature ranges (in degrees C) are shown in brackets
H1a: under glass all year (>15C)
H1b: can be grown outside in the summer (10 - 15)
H1c: can be grown outside in the summer (5 - 10)
H2: tolerant of low temperatures, but not surviving being frozen (1 to 5)
H3: hardy in coastal and relatively mild parts of the UK (-5 to 1)
H4: hardy through most of the UK (-10 to -5)
H5: hardy in most places throughout the UK even in severe winters (-15 to -10)
H6: hardy in all of UK and northern Europe (-20 to -15)
H7: hardy in the severest European continental climates (< -20)

Botanical details

Family: Poaceae
Native to the UK: No
Foliage: Evergreen
Habit: Clump forming
Genus: Chusquea are evergreen clump-forming bamboos with smooth, glossy, solid canes with 3 main branches at each node, these branching-freely and bearing copious small, dark green leaves
Name status: Correct
Plant range: Chile

How to grow

Cultivation

Grow in fertile, humus-rich, leafy, moist but well-drained soil in sun or partial shade, sheltered from cold, dry winds. See bamboo cultivation and if this bamboo outgrows its alloted space see bamboo control

Propagation

Propagate by seed, division or by removing sections of rhizomes with a stem and root, in spring

Suggested planting locations and garden types

Architectural
Cottage and informal garden
Hedging and screens

Pruning

Remove weak, dead, damaged or spindly stems in spring and to show off stems to best effect. Cut out any flowering shoots promptly to discourage more from forming

Pests

May be susceptible to slug damage on young growth

Diseases

Generally disease-free

Get involved

The Royal Horticultural Society is the UK’s leading gardening charity. We aim to enrich everyone’s life through plants, and make the UK a greener and more beautiful place.