previous
  • Dwarf Citrus Trees
    Dwarf Citrus Trees
  • Elephant's Ears
    Elephant's Ears
  • Fast-Growing Trees for Impatient Gardeners
    Fast-Growing Trees for Impatient Gardeners
  • Slideshow: Beautiful Clematis
    Slideshow: Beautiful Clematis
  • Plant an Easy-to-Water Strawberry Jar
    Plant an Easy-to-Water Strawberry Jar
  • In Pursuit of the Perfect Potting Shed
    In Pursuit of the Perfect Potting Shed
  • NEW Video Series: There's a Better Way
    NEW Video Series: There's a Better Way
  • Colorful Selections for Shade
    Colorful Selections for Shade
  • 6 Tips for Weed Control
    6 Tips for Weed Control
  • Make a Succulent Topiary
    Make a Succulent Topiary
  • Garden Confidential: A Plant Walks into a Bar
    Garden Confidential: A Plant Walks into a Bar
  • Pretty in Pink
    Pretty in Pink
  • Homegrown / Homemade
    Homegrown / Homemade
  • Containers as Focal Points
    Containers as Focal Points
  • Indeterminate or Determinate Tomatoes?
    Indeterminate or Determinate Tomatoes?
  • Building a Compost Bin
    Building a Compost Bin
  • Save Money by Growing Your Own
    Save Money by Growing Your Own
  • Plants that Spark!
    Plants that Spark!
  • Thoughts From a Foreign Field
    Thoughts From a Foreign Field
  • Stylish Shady Containers
    Stylish Shady Containers
  • Fragrant Plants for Pathways
    Fragrant Plants for Pathways
  • Comfortable Alfresco Dining
    Comfortable Alfresco Dining
  • Mulch for a Healthy Garden
    Mulch for a Healthy Garden
  • Lawn Alternatives
    Lawn Alternatives
  • Designing with Curved Terraces
    Designing with Curved Terraces
next
Find a plant:

OR Browse All Plants


Phyllostachys nigra (Black bamboo)

Phyllostachys nigra Photo/Illustration: Steve Aitken

(Based on 1 user review)

Rate this plant

Plant Showcase - from our advertisers


Hardiness Zones: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11
Botanical Name: Phyllostachys nigra fil-lo-STAK-iss NY-grah Common Name: Black bamboo Genus: Phyllostachys
This clumping bamboo is native to eastern and central China and can reach 15 feet tall and almost as wide. After two or three years, slender green culms turn a lustrous black. The foliage is abundant and dark green, making a stunning combination with the stems. Grow as screening, in large containers, or in a woodland setting where the stems can be appreciated.
 Noteworthy characteristics: Lustrous black culms contrast with the green leaves.
 Care: Plant in a protected area in fertile, rich, moist but well-drained soil in full sun or light shade.
 Propagation: Divide in spring.
 Problems: Rust and stem smut are common, while slugs and snails may attack emerging shoots.
Height 10 ft. to 15 ft.
Spread 6 ft. to 10 ft.
Growth Habit Clumps
Growth Pace Fast Grower
Light Full Sun to Part Shade
Moisture Medium Moisture
Maintenance Moderate
Characteristics Showy Foliage
Foliage Color Black
Uses Beds and Borders, Container, Screening, Specimen Plant/ Focal Point
Style Woodland Garden
Seasonal Interest Winter Interest, Spring Interest, Summer Interest, Fall Interest
Type Grasses

Plants you might also like

Pleioblastus viridistriatus Pleioblastus viridistriatus
(Golden bamboo, Kamuro-zasa ) (1 user review)
Hardiness Zones: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

This bamboo has showy variegated leaves of green and gold in an irregular pattern of stripes. It is a running bamboo, making it good for naturalizing and filling in or for hedging, but it may need to be controlled by underground barriers. It grows to about 5 feet high.
Phyllostachys nuda Phyllostachys nuda
(Nuda bamboo) (1 user review)
Hardiness Zones: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

Nuda is one of the hardiest bamboos. New culms emerge purplish green, eventually lightening to match the leaf color. This is a running bamboo, so take precautions for restraint. Though it is reluctant to spread into very dry soils, it is resistant to some drought.
Pleioblastus variegatus Pleioblastus variegatus
(Dwarf white-stripe) Be the first to rate this plant
Hardiness Zones: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

Dwarf white-stripe has 5-inch-long, upward-pointing green leaves strongly variegated with white. It grows up to 3 feet tall in either sun or shade, forming a striking contrast to less flamboyant neighbors.
Stipa tenuissima Stipa tenuissima
(Mexican feather grass) (5 user reviews)
Hardiness Zones: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

No other grass exhibits quite the refinement of texture as this species. Its bright green foliage resembles delicate filaments that arise in elegant, vase-like clumps and spill outward like a soft fountain. All summer it bears a profusion of feathery panicles, which mature from foamy-green to blonde. It is native to the Americas.
no image available Pennisetum spathiolatum
(Slender veldt grass) Be the first to rate this plant
Hardiness Zones: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

Native to South Africa, this non-invasive evergreen species produces showy pink flowers in spring, which are held 2 to 3 feet above the foliage on stiff, wiry stalks.