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Kuma Bamboo Grass

Sasa veitchii (SAH-sah veet-CHEE-eye)

Family: Poaceae Non-native Herbaceous (3-15 ft)

Nagasa bamboo is a spreading bamboo that forms clumps of slender canes. Its leaf margins become light cream color in late fall while the leaf center remains dark green, making this a unique addition to your garden. It can be displayed as a shrubby type plant or as a groundcover. Cutting the plants to the ground after its spring flush will give you a beautiful groundcover. For a taller plant, cut to the ground in the spring before its new growth begins. Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: Its root system can lead to this plant becoming quite aggressive in the garden.

Source: NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox ↗ NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox, 35 attributes.

How it fits the guild

Guild layer 4 - Herbaceous (3-15 ft) Optimal soil pH Acid (<6.0); Alkaline (>8.0); Neutral (6.0-8.0)
See companions & conflicts ↓

Companions & Conflicts

Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.

No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.

Also noted by NC State

Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.

Full plant profile

Growing Conditions
Plant type
Ornamental Grasses and Sedges
Life cycle
Woody
USDA zones
6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b, 9a, 9b
Light
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day) | Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Soil texture
Clay; Loam (Silt); Sand
Soil pH
Acid (<6.0); Alkaline (>8.0); Neutral (6.0-8.0)
Soil drainage
Good Drainage
Available space
12-24 feet
NC region
Coastal; Mountains; Piedmont
Mature size
Height: 2 ft. 0 in. - 8 ft. 0 in. | Width: 8 ft. 0 in. - 13 ft. 0 in.
Growth rate
Rapid
Maintenance
High
Canopy layer
4 - Herbaceous (3-15 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Arching; Clumping; Erect; Spreading
Foliage
Broadleaf Evergreen
Leaf color
Cream/Tan; Green
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
Grown for foliage
Flower form
Insignificant
Fruit type
Caryopsis
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Non-native
Origin
Sakhalin to Japan
Food & Medicine
Fruit type
Caryopsis
Landscape Use
Landscape location
Container; Rock Wall; Slope/Bank; Woodland
Landscape theme
Asian Garden
Design feature
Barrier; Border; Hedge; Mass Planting; Screen/Privacy; Specimen
Garden tags
#groundcover #sandy soils tolerant #clay soils tolerant #fast growing #bamboo #high maintenance #aggressive #frost tolerant #weedy
Problems & Resistance
Problems
Weedy
Propagation
Division; Root Cutting; Seed

Planted at Hunnicutt

Nobody’s planted this one yet.