Life Span
Perennial
Perennial
Type
Tender Perennial
Grass
Origin
Southeastern Asia, India, Melanesia, Micronesia
China
Types
Variegata Dwarf, Variegata Chinese Beauty
Greenstripe Vivax, Moso, Weavers Bamboo, Oldhamii
Number of Varieties
201500
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Tropical regions
Subtropical climates, Wet Woods
USDA Hardiness Zone
8-158-11
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
12-5
12 - 8
Sunset Zone
H1, H2, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
H1, H2, 8, 9, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
Habit
Clump-Forming
Upright/Erect
Plant Size
Minimum Height
180.00 cm1,000.00 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
120.00 cm10.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
White, Red, Light Pink
-
Flower Color Modifier
Multi-Color
Bicolor
Fruit Color
-
-
Leaf Color in Spring
Dark Green
Dark Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Dark Green
Light Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Dark Green
Dark Green
Leaf Color in Winter
Dark Green
Dark Green
Shape
Leaf Shape
Lance shaped
Acicular
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Partial Sun, Partial shade
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Growth Rate
Fast
Slow
Type of Soil
Loam, Sand
Clay, Loam, Sand
The pH of Soil
Acidic, Neutral
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Soil Drainage
Average
Average
Bloom Time
Late Spring, Early Summer, Summer
-
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Drought
Drought
Where to Plant?
Container, Ground, Pot
Container, Ground
How to Plant?
By dividing rhizomes, tubers
Grafting, Seedlings, Stem Planting, Transplanting
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Medium
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Requires plenty of water during the growing season
Needs watering once a week, Use Mulches to help prevent water loss during hot and windy weather, Water Deeply
In Summer
Lots of watering
Lots of watering
In Spring
Moderate
Moderate
In Winter
Average Water
Average Water
Soil
Soil pH
Acidic, Neutral
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Soil Type
Loam, Sand
Clay, Loam, Sand
Soil Drainage Capacity
Average
Average
Sun Exposure
Partial Sun, Partial shade
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Pruning
Cut off the flower stalks at the base of the plant, Remove dead leaves, Remove dead or diseased plant parts
Do not prune during shooting season, Prune in late summer or fall, Remove damaged leaves
Fertilizers
Apply 8-4-6 amount
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer
Pests and Diseases
-
Black sooty mold, Mealybugs, Mosaic viruses, Powdery mildew, pythogens, Stem rot
Plant Tolerance
Drought
Drought
Flowers
Showy
-
Flower Petal Number
Single
Single
Fruits
Showy Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Edible Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrance
Fragrant Flower
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Leaf
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Bark/Stem
✔
✘
✔
✘
Showy Foliage
✔
✘
✔
✘
Showy Bark
✔
✘
✔
✘
Foliage Texture
Coarse
Coarse
Foliage Sheen
Glossy
Matte
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Butterflies
Deers, Rabbits, Rats, Squirrels
Allergy
Rash
allergic conjunctivitis, Asthma, Inflammation, Throat itching
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
Showy Purposes
Showy Purposes
Beauty Benefits
Good for skin
-
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Air purification
Agroforestry, Air purification, No fertilizer, pesticides, or herbicides needed
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
Antiulcerogenic, Diuretic, Hypotensive
Clears heat, Cold, fidgeting, Treating fever, Urinary tract problems
Part of Plant Used
Leaves, Rhizomes
Leaves, Stem
Other Uses
Can be made into a herbal tea, Leaves used for wrapping zongi, Used to flavour noodles, Used to wrap mochi rice cakes
Application in Handicrafts, Showy Purposes, Used As Food, Used in Furniture, Used in paper industry
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Container, Cutflower, Mixed Border, Screening / Wind Break, Tropical
Feature Plant, Screening / Wind Break, Tropical
Botanical Name
ALPINIA zerumbet
BAMBUSA oldhamii
Common Name
Shell Ginger
Clumping Bamboo, Giant Timber Bamboo, Oldham's Bamboo
In Hindi
Shell Ginger
Bānsa
In German
Shell Ginger
Bambus
In French
Shell Ginger
Bambou
In Spanish
Shell jengibre
Bambú
In Greek
Shell Τζίντζερ
μπαμπού
In Portuguese
Shell Ginger
bambu
In Polish
Shell Imbir
Bambus
In Latin
Crusta Ginger
Bamboo
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Magnoliophyta
Magnoliophyta
Class
Lilopsida
Liliopsida
Order
Zingiberales
Poales
Family
Zingiberaceae
Poaceae
Genus
Alpinia
Bambusa
Clade
Angiosperms, Commelinids, Monocots
-
Tribe
Alpinieae
Bambuseae
Subfamily
Alpinioideae
-
Number of Species
15091
1
27800
👆🏻