PlantFiles: Canebrake Bamboo
Arundinaria gigantea

this is an invasive native throughout South Carolina and spreads, but slowly. the old canes a wonderful stakes for plants and make good cane poles that my friends and i would cut and go fishing with whan we were little, but it was hard to find ones tall enough to use as good poles if youre much farther north of Columbia, but here in bluffton they easily reach 10 feet. also they make real mean switches for bad children (from experience) because i had a babysitter that made me pick one of these as my own switch and i never messed with that ol lady again

Canebrake Bamboo Arundinaria gigantea is native to Texas ans other States.

I found some of this bamboo growing alongside the road outside of Chattanooga, TN, and dug up three small divisions (all of which survived). This plant has weathered its first zone 6 winter, with temps falling to -5 F overnight once with NO damage (all other bamboo I planted last year, even Z 6 hardy ones suffered at least minor leaf damage, and a few were larger, nursery dug divisions), so I'm thinking that what I have might be the famous Macon River Cane variety that can supposedly stand temps to -20 F.... Very unique and easy to grow native plant that I'd reccommend to anyone.

In addendum, there are two subspecies of A. gigantea (both of which I have): A. gigantea gigantea, which grows to heights between 10 and 30 ft and bears its flowers on the regular culms, and A. gigantea tecta, which is a dwarf subspecies that is between 3-8 ft tall, has air channels in the rhizomes, allowing it to grow in wet, waterlogged soil, and bears flowers on specialized flowering culms. Some varieties of A. gigantea tecta are deciduous (two of my A gigatea tecta plants, which were collected from behind my uncle's house in Wahalla, SC are of this variety).

Canebrake Bamboo, also known as Giant Cane, is a very common and conspicous bamboo in the southeast, forming the so-called "canebrakes" in southern woodlands. It is one of the few bamboos native to North America. Like most bamboos, it has a very long flowering cycle.

I have not grown it myself but there are extensive wild stands on my land. It is quite coarse in appearance due to the very conspicous white culms. Canebrake Bamboo is easily propagated from root divisions and can be somewhat invasive. I personally haven't seen any that are taller than 12 feet or so.