An exceptionally beautiful plant that features greenish-yellow culms with darker green stripe, one of nature's best bamboo creations.
Polynesian 'Ohe, smaller than Bambusa vulgaris (3 in. x 40 ft.), is reported to set viable seed every 30 years or so. Schizostachyum glaucifolium is a very unusual bamboo having extremely thin walls, and long internodes.
(Wagner,W.L., D.R. Herbst, and S.H. Sohmer.1990. Manual of the Flowering Plants of Hawaii.)
The Hawaiians used Polynesian 'Ohe as water containers, fishing poles, knives, design stamps for decorating tapa, musical instruments such as the nose flute, racing sleds and frames of a house.
(Krauss, Beatrice H. 1993. Plants in Hawaiian Culture.)
(Information for this species compiled and recorded by Camelia Cirnaru, NTBG Consultant.)
Polynesian 'Ohe is said to be one of the "canoe plants" brought to Hawai' by early Polynesian settlers in their oceanic navigation. This plant may have originated in India or Java.
(Krauss, Beatrice H. 1993. Plants in Hawaiian Culture.)
We currently have 9 herbarium specimens for Schizostachyum glaucifolium in our collection. Click on any specimen below to view the herbarium sheet data.
