Evergreen River Cane

text and photos by Scott Woodbury

Any time of year when I startle a bird at work, it takes cover in a nearby patch of river cane. Once inside it disappears because the cane is dense year-round with stems and leaves. In this regard, it is like a shrub, though it is technically in the grass family and produces no wood. It also makes ideal, secluded nesting sites for a number of bird species including warblers. Massive patches of river cane once grew commonly along riverbanks throughout the Ozarks. These patches, called canebrakes, are excellent at preventing erosion along creeks and rivers because they have an extensive and dense spreading root system that tolerates short-term flooding. Unfortunately, most canebrakes are long-gone, having been severely grazed by livestock.

There are only three evergreen trees or shrubs native to Missouri that are readily available from native plant nurseries: shortleaf pine (Pinus echinatus), eastern red cedar (Juniperus virginiana), and river cane (Arundinaria gigantea), a native species of bamboo. In landscaping, eastern red cedar makes an impenetrable screen with branches and leaves growing nearly to the ground. Shortleaf pine is a reliable tall, slender, and rapidly growing tree that is long-lived. It deserves more attention from the landscape industry, and so does river cane, a very useful suckering bamboo that grows 7 to 10 feet high.

River cane grown under a walnut tree grows more moderately and produces fewer suckers.

~ JANET KILBURN PHILLIPS

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2601 E. 5th St. • Washington, MO

Though river cane suckers moderately to aggressively once established (1 to 2 years), it grows very densely in part sun or part shade, rendering it virtually weedfree. In full shade, it grows more openly with wider spaces between the stems. It also grows in full sun, although the leaves will be yellowish green. It is useful grown as a screen or hedge; however, finding the right location is not always obvious. Plant river cane too close to a property line, and the next-door Brad Johnson from Pittsburg, neighbor may become frustrated Kansas, digs a small river cane when it begins to sucker. Locate it plant. too close to a walk or driveway and it will block the path when covered with snow or water. The best place to grow river cane is five feet away from a path and surrounded by a barrier. Concrete or asphalt make a good barrier as long as it is at least four feet wide. Mowed grass works too, because when cane suckers into turf, the mower cuts off new shoots that appear in late spring and summer, stopping their spread. An alternative is to install a bamboo root barrier 24 inches into the ground and 2 to 3 inches above ground. Barriers can be installed with a trenching machine. Always call before you dig (dial 811 anywhere in the country) to mark all buried cables, gas, and water lines. Another option is to plant river cane beneath mature black walnut trees. Here, it will spread more moderately and generate fewer suckers. When suckers are few, cutting them off and digging them up when they appear in July is an easy chore. If you wait until later in the season, sprouts root in, and are difficult to remove.

Because cane plants rarely flower and produce seed (every 30 to 40 years), they are propagated by division in early March. Dig small stems that appear at the edges of established patches and try not to loosen the soil ball when digging. Spray the foliage with Wilt Pruf®, an anti-transpirant that prevents wilting and leaf drop. Transplant shock is significant with bamboo, so expect one to two full growing seasons for plants to fully recover and resume growth. During a prescribed winter burn years ago, I discovered something unexpected and fun. When fire passed beneath a patch of cane, trapped air in the stems expanded and popped with a bang. I further discovered that fresh cut stem segments that encompass at least two nodes (the swollen parts of the stem) can be gathered in advance and thrown on an

Horticulturist Scott Woodbury is the Curator of the Whitmire Wildflower Garden at Shaw Nature Reserve in Gray Summit, MO, where he has worked with native plant propagation, design, and education for 30 years. He is also an advisor to the Missouri Prairie Foundation’s GrowNative! program. An example of river cane used as a screen.

outdoor camp fire. Viola! Home-made fire crackers!

River cane has many past and current uses. Today, it is planted often for stream bank restoration. Young shoots and seeds are sometimes cooked and eaten. It was once used to construct strong wattle and daub buildings (mud is the daub; cane strips are the wattle). In the past, Native Americans used cane to make baskets, mats, pipe stems, arrow shafts, quivers, containers, rafts, blowguns, lashings, flutes, canteens, and fishing poles. And, according to John C. Hall (University of Alabama), Native Americans also burned cane in council fires…pop-pop-pop!

Happy gardening ya’ll!

9814 Pleasant Hill Rd Jefferson City MO 65109 www.mowildflowers.net mowldflrs@socket.net

573-496-3492

Meet us at one of these locations in the St. Louis area. Give us your order by Tuesday before a sale, and we will bring it to the location. World Bird Sanctuary. 125 Bald Eagle Ridge Rd., Valley Park, MO MO Prairie Foundation Native Plant Sale. September 4, 10 am - 2 pm Kirkwood Farmer’s Market. 150 East Argonne, Kirkwood, MO 63122 Pre-Orders and On site shopping. September 4 & 11, 8 am - 4 pm Shaw Nature Reserve, www.shawnature.org. 307 Pinetum Loop Rd Gray Summit, MO 63039. 2021 Fall Wildflower Market. September 10, 3 pm - 7 pm Webster University. 554 Garden Ave, Webster Groves, MO 63119. Native Plant Expo Sale. www.stlouisaudubon.org, September 25, 9 am - 1 pm Roeslein & Associates, Inc. 9200 Watson Road, St. Louis County 63126 Native Plant Sale. September 30, 3:30 pm - 6:30 pm Missouri Botanical Garden. 4344 Shaw Blvd, St. Louis, MO. Best of Missouri Market. Admission charge varies, details at mobot.org October 1, 12:00 pm - 8:00 pm October 2, 9:00 am - 5:00 pm (members 8-9 am) October 3, 9:00 am - 5:00 pm