Heavenly Bamboo & its impact on Cedar Waxwings
Heavenly Bamboo or Nandia domestica is a common landscape plant in the Ozarks. It is usually planted for its red showy winter berries and tidy shape. Unfortunately Heavenly Bamboo has been proven to be both invasive and hazardous. It has a tendency to escape and colonize woodlands much like bush honeysuckle. Getting rid of it requires either a thorough dig up or herbicide application.
The berries contain cyanide and have been proven to cause fatality in many birds but most notably the cedar wax wings. Since Heavenly Bamboo is from Asia, our birds have not evolved and adapted to consume this plant, and they have not recognized it as toxic yet. Acute toxicity is determined by the amount of berries the birds consume. Many birds may only eat a few berries and will spread the seeds. Specifically Cedar Wax Wings, will often consume large quantities and die. Since Cyanide is the active killer in these plants, livestock, pets, and children are also susceptible to its toxicity.
BEWARE THE BAMBOO BERRIES
If you are reading this and you’re thinking you must replace this plant in your garden, I have a couple comparable options listed here for you!
sumacs and possum haws have beautiful abundant red berries, but take on different shapes than heavenly bamboo. Sumacs also provide excellent pollinator food sources and their berries are bright red lemony blasts of flavor.
Strawberry Bush/Wahoo has the red berries but is almost identical to burning bush and has that same fall red color.
Spice bush offers fall red berries, beautiful yellow spring blooms, and grows best in shade. They have edible leaves, shoots, and berries that can be used in a variety of dishes from wrapping meat, to twig ice cream, to using the berries to flavor rum for a delicious Jamaican Dram.
beauty berry tend to have more of a vase shape but can be kept tidy looking like Heavenly Bamboo. The berries are not bright red, but more of a pink-purple.
Holly species (Ilex spp.) are a great overall substitute. They can be several sizes and shapes, and hold the same bright red berries. There is also the Inkberry (ilex glabra) which is a type of holly that has these bright blue/black berries.
