Cob: slab .. was Introduction

[Amanda Peck]

I'm not Darel, but the native eastern cane species are pretty tiny.  Even 
the one called "Arundinaria gigantea" is pretty durned small, usually not 
over 6-8 feet tall, even if this site swears it CAN grow to 25.  There's 
another one as well, I think it's the slightly smaller.  If you're running 
into anything much larger, it's probably an old import.  Bamboos (not as bad 
as kudzu) have been imported since at least the 1880's.  I grew up with a 
bamboo grove nearby.  I've never quite figured out what it was, but big 
culms were about 3" in diameter, and my mother used to keep what we wanted 
to keep in grass bamboo-free by picking the young shoots, slicing, blanching 
and freezing them, then adding them to stir-fries all year.

http://aquat1.ifas.ufl.edu/arugig.html

Even the native species turn up on invasive pest species lists.  A good deal 
of Wayne County Tennessee was in cane brake when the first white settlers 
wandered in.

..........................
John Haugland wrote:
Hi Darel:
Do the canes native to the southern US perform as well as bamboo, so we
can encourage a more local economy here and not have to import/grow an
exotic species from SE Asia?

John

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