Form

• Bamboo roots take the form of creeping rootstocks, or rhizomes. Individual bamboo plants in an area are connected at the rootstock. The differences between running bamboo and clumping bamboo are the shape and length of the rhizome. Running bamboo is characterized by a thin rhizome that travels over a long distance, allowing the shoots to spread out over a wider distance. Clumping bamboo has a thicker, more localized rootstockm which results in a number of bamboo shoots in proximity to one another.
  
  

Habitat

• Clumping bamboo performs best in moist, well-drained soil that is rich and fertile in organic material, though plants also tolerate moist, sandy soil and can adapt to a number of different soil types as long as adequate drainage is present. Clumping bamboo favors full sun or partial shade, but plants are resilient enough to withstand full shade.
  
  

Growth Habits

• Clumping bamboo shoots grow for a short time each year. The above-ground growth period generally occurs during the spring or summer months when the plants receive optimum amounts of rain. Outside of this growth period, the rootstocks receive the plant's energy and resources to spread in preparation for the next above-ground growth period. Individual bamboo canes or shoots last between five and 12 years, with more canes produced each year. New growth clumping bamboo shoots are taller than those formed in previous years.
  
  

Uses

• Clumping bamboo is equally at home indoors or out. As an indoor feature, clumping bamboo is used as an ornamental container plant. Outdoors, clumping bamboo can be used as a privacy screen in front of windows, doors or recreational areas. Clumping bamboo is also used for ornamental landscaping and is sometimes included around ponds or fountains as a decorative plant.
  
  

Varieties

• Different clumping bamboo varieties have different colors, growth habits and uses in the home landscape. Bambusa multiplex 'Alphonse Karr' is recommended by the University of Florida as an ideal clumping bamboo for use in privacy screens because its evergreen shoots grow between 20 and 35 feet tall. Bambusa eutuldoides 'Viridivittata' or Asian lemon bamboo, is ideal for those who wish to stray from the typical green bamboo shoots. Asian lemon bamboo produces pink-hued new growth that hardens into a yellow and green striped cane. Angel-tipped bamboo, Dendrocalamus minor 'Amoenus' , grows in a clump that resembles a fountain-like spray.