Heavenly Bamboo Nandina

Description:

A compact plant, it requires little pruning. Despite the common name, it is not a bamboo at all. It is an erect shrub growing to 2 m tall (7'-8' in the Pacific Northwest), with numerous, usually unbranched stems growing from the roots. The glossy leaves are evergreen (sometimes deciduous in colder areas). The Heavenly Bamboo Nandina continually changes color throughout the year. In the spring, it turns from red to a copper-red tint. As summer arrives, green foliage begins to appear. When fall comes round again, the Heavenly Bamboo changes yet again, as the foliage shifts to a reddish-purple and produces red berries as well.

Habitat:

Nandina is a New Latin word, constructed from the Japanese nanten, which in turn was derived from the Chinese nan (south) and tian (heaven). Zhu, for bamboo, was converted into the western a to formulate an entirely new descriptor that, while Latin, was never used by the Romans, even if they had ventured far enough to reach into the East Asian native habitat of Nandina domestica, the place where it was first collected in the18th Century. All varieties do well here in full to part sun, with reasonable care and regular if not extravagant amounts of water. N. domestica is one of the few choices for the dry, dappled shade under evergreen conifers, although such placement will usually result in less brilliantly colored foliage.

Notes:

*WARNING* All parts of the plant are poisonous, containing hydrocyanic acid, and could potentially be fatal if ingested. The plant is placed in Toxicity Category 4, the category "generally considered non-toxic to humans," however, the berries are considered toxic to cats and grazing animals. The berries also contain alkaloids such as nantenine, which is used in scientific research as an antidote to MDMA. Birds are not affected by these toxins and will disperse the seeds through their droppings.