Schizostachyum glaucifolium


Schizostachyum glaucifolium, common name Polynesian ohe, is a species of bamboo.

Distribution

This species is native to the South-Central Pacific, from the Marquesas Islands and Society Islands in French Polynesia, as well as in the Southwestern Pacific in the Samoan Islands and Fiji.
It is cultivated in the United States, and grows in the wild in Hawaii.

Habitat

This species prefers tropical or subtropical climates. It can be found mainly along the banks of rivers and streams and on hillsides, at an elevation of above sea level.

Description

Schizostachyum glaucifolium can reach a typical height of and a culm diameter of. This evergreen clump-forming bamboo shows thin walls, long internodes and yellow woody culms with green stripes.

Human culture

These bamboos have been introduced in French Polynesia by ancient Polynesians for its many uses.

Importance

On the French Polynesian island of Mo'orea, thickets of these bamboo were likely the exclusive breeding habitat of the critically endangered Moorea reed warbler. Development, overharvesting, and the invasive Miconia have severely depleted these thickets, and the warbler is now feared extinct.