Scientific name: Phyllostachys nigra
Family: POACEAE
Common names: “Black bamboo” “whangee cane” “kuro-chiku”
Plant Type: Evergreen perennial bamboo
Conditions:
Zone: 7-10
Light: Full sun – dappled shade
Exposure: Sheltered
Soil: Fertile humus rich
Moisture: Moist well drained
Aesthetic:
Plant Size: H 8-15′ W 6-10′
Leaf and Stem shape: Elegant arching canes, green at first becoming blackish-brown with maturity, and narrow-lanceolate leaves
Pruning: Remove weak, dead, damaged or spindly stems in spring, thin out lower branches to show off black stems once established
Maintenance: Low, enjoys 20-5-5 or high nitrogen fertilizers in April and June, requires more fertilizer if in a pot, install with bamboo barrier to make it a lot cheaper to maintain in the long term
Landscape use: Hedges and screens, container plants, entrances, Japanese garden
Propagate: By division in Spring only
Pests & Disease: Bamboo mite is common
*Deer resistant
Comments: ~AGM winner, tough edible young shoots but
Cultivars: ~AGM winner: P. n. f. henonis
Vancouver Island Grows 