#switch cane

I would like to introduce you to North America's native bamboos. There are three species, all hailing from the same genus - Arundinaria. Today they hardly get the attention they deserve but in the past, there were an incredibly important group of plants both ecologically and culturally. Today they occupy a mere shadow of this former glory so in keeping with the goal of In Defense of Plants, I am here to defend these plants. 

There are three species in the genus Arundinaria -- A. appalachiana, A. gigantea, and A. tecta -- and all of these are native to the southeast. There has been a whole lot of taxonomic debate over these plants ever since Thomas Walter first described the first of them in 1788. Since then, there have been many revisions. Whether or not any Asian bamboos belong in this genus is a story for another time but recent genetic work confirms that these three species are valid. 

Each differs slightly in its ecology. Giant or river cane (A. gigantea) is a denizen of alluvial forests and swamps as is switch cane (A. tecta), although switch cane seems to be a bit more obligate in its need for swamp-like habitats. Hill cane (A. appalachiana) was only described in 2006 and prefers dry to moist forested slopes and forest edges. One interesting things about hill cane is that it drops its leaves in the fall, an unusual trait for a bamboo. 

A majority of their reproduction is asexual via spreading rhizomes. All three species of cane rarely flower. When they do, plants usually die after setting seed. As such, a majority of canes you may encounter in the wild are clones connected by a vast network of large rhizomes. These rhizomes can persist for decades or even centuries meaning persistent patches are quite old. These rhizomes can lay dormant for some time as well, waiting for some form of canopy clearing disturbance to provide the conditions they need to grow again. 

Despite how common these canes may seem in some areas, they are nowhere near what they once were. European settlers wrote of vast stretches of rivers and swamps completely covered in cane. They called these "canebrakes" and they persisted as such due to the importance of Arundinaria to Native Americans. Regular burning created perfect conditions for cane to thrive and thrive it did. 

Because it was once so prolific, its ecological impacts were quite immense. Many animals relied on canebrakes for food, shelter, and a place to breed. Unfortunately, cane was also highly sought after as food for cattle. Unsustainable grazing took its toll, as did fire suppression. What's more, the rich soils and relatively flat topography in which these canes tend to grow was also the preferred spot for farming. In fact, settlers used canebrakes as an indicator of good soils. Vast acres of cane were cleared and plowed under. Unfortunately for cane and the habitat it created, when it disappeared, so did much of its function.

Once cleared, cane is slow to return. Its tendency to not flower frequently means few seeds are ever produced. Even clonal reproduction can be tedious if the right conditions are not present. Cane has lost most of the ground in which it once grew. With it went vital components of the southeastern ecosystem. It has even been suggested that the loss of canebrakes played a major role in the extinction of Bachman's warbler (Vermivora bachmanii) though it is hard to say for sure. 

Though all three species of cane still persist today, they are not the ecosystem builders they once were. It will take a lot of changes here in North America both ecologically and culturally before these three bamboos can ever regain much of their former range. Still, they are interesting plants to encounter and well worth taking some time to enjoy. 

Photo Credits: [1] [2]

Flowering in Catahoula Parish, March 23 2019, corresponding FEMA flood incident May 10 2019 (less than 2 months from flowering report.,)

Additional noted hurricanes of 2019 that affected the state include Hurricane Barry and Tropical Storm Imelda.

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Another flowering sighting reported March 15 2022 in Fort Polk / Pitkin Louisiana may be the first report I looked at that doesn't yet have a corresponding weather anomaly within 6 months. Hurricane Ida was the previous year, and Hurricane Ian did not make landfall until September 28, over 6 months from the flowering report. Ian was a category 5 Hurricane, and the last cat5 Hurricane in the atlantic before Ian was in 2019, but affected Europe. El Niño was reported this year. I've found no FEMA info for the area of this flowering near the time of the flowering. I may have missed something or this could legit be a flowering with no corresponding weather anomaly this time.

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Likewise this seeding/flowering spotted on the coast of North Carolina on March 18 2022 falls just outside of the 6 month window that I'm focused on, for a category 5 Hurricane and the FEMA declaration on September 28 2022 for Hurricane Ian.

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But to top it off, here's another example probably in the path of Hurricane Ian that 1) was within the 6 months and 2) did not have seeds. I feel I'll have to pay attention to the correlation between the non-flowering plants and the flood data when I analyze it.

First hit?

Switchcane, South of Hoffman, North Carolina in late April of 2013.

Within two months, floods hit NC, resulting in President Obama declaring it a FEMA major disaster.

Sighting April 23 2013 FEMA disaster July 3-27 2013

I'm having trouble finding data for the exact pinned location. But it is a fact that the president declared a flood emergency in the entire state in 2013 due to floods in the state that happened a couple months after the seeding/flowering. Nearby data:

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I disregarded two results that showed no flowers or fruits and disregarded one flowering result in Maryland in 2015 due to the location being obscured. The flowering could correlate with Hurricane Joaquin.

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April 15 2018 in Apex North Carolina.

It is difficult to find individual flood data for july-august for the area because most search results pull towards Hurricane Florence, which devastated NC with floods in September of that year.

Likewise other flowering in 2018 is difficult to find flood data for. One flowering in particular in Newton County Texas on May 11 2018 coincides with August adoption of a new Flood Damage Prevention order in Newton County TX but I cannot find what floods might have triggered the bill adoption, which was adopted in August prior to Hurricane Florence.

FEMA acknowledged a severe flooding incident for Texas for September 10, four months after the flowering.

https://www.foxcarolina.com/2026/07/05/nc-officials-urge-residents-take-shelter-due-severe-thunderstorm-warning/

https://www.foxcarolina.com/2026/07/05/nc-officials-urge-residents-take-shelter-due-severe-thunderstorm-warning/

Possibly the first recorded observed instance of a flowering behavior in switch cane

Correlated flooding/hurricane weather article from 2 weeks after the observation

According to the reporter of the flowering, it was flowering in March of 2025, just ahead of an "Abnormally wet hurricane season"

Flash flooding in the area reported in August, after the March flowering, possibly before or after the die off, but before the "flowering again" on September 15

https://www.wsav.com/crime-safety/flash-flood-warning-issued-in-chatham-county/

ANOTHER

FEMA declared Saline County a flood disaster area 2 months after the flowering reported

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Another 3

Floods warning issued in little rock 2 months after a seeding flowering report

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Another with no actual correlation yet

This one was reported less than 1 month ago, is A..Tecta(switchcane) which was hit with herbicide.

There is no flood data for 2 months after the sighting in the area yet but nearby is under a flood warning