Plants That Look Like Bamboo

Top 10 Plants That Look Like Bamboo! (Updated)

Bamboo is a fascinating plant with tall stems and long leaves. Each of these elements make it a unique plant, but did you know there are plants that look like bamboo?

Bamboo is a very popular plant in many parts of the world due to its unique look, versatility, and sustainability. However, there are plenty of plants that can offer the same aesthetic appeal and environmental benefits without being bamboo, making it easier to incorporate them into your home or garden.

There are plenty of plants that have similar structures, stems, colors, and leaves as bamboo. There are too many to count, but this list will have 10: Lucky Bamboo, Horsetail, Giant Reed, Heavenly Bamboo, Japanese Knotweed, Bamboo Palm, Dumb Cane, Parlor Palm, Broad Leafed Dock, and Lilac.

The rest of this article will cover 10 plants that look like bamboo.

10 Plants That Look Like Bamboo

Bamboo is an extremely famous plant due to its iconic look and interesting properties that make it such a good piece of nature. For example, bamboo can produce oxygen faster than other trees, and it’s by a significant amount too. Bamboo can produce 35% more oxygen.

Thanks to this, people use bamboo as a way to reduce their carbon footprint. They use it to give back to the environment and clean up the air quality around them. If you’re looking for a healthy plant to be around, you should consider bamboo.

However, there’s more to bamboo than this. They’re also the fastest growing plant. Their shape and structure are formed very fast, with them growing about 47.6 inches in 24 hours. That means you can have a bamboo plant as tall as you in only a day.

All of these facts contribute to the overall look of bamboo. If you were to look at the stems of bamboo, you’ll see little ridges, or even grooves. These aspects make bamboo, well, bamboo. So it may be hard to imagine other plants looking like them, but there are plenty.

The plants on this list have similar qualities to bamboo. They have similar leaves, similar stems, similar heights – lots of similarities that make them worth checking out!

Also see:

10. Lucky Bamboo

stones 1341227 640

Despite the name, Lucky Bamboo isn’t bamboo. It doesn’t belong to any of the bamboo species, which is surprising considering there’s 1200 of them. In reality, Lucky Bamboo got its name because it’s viewed as a source of good luck, often being used as a gift for others.

Another reason why it got its name is the shape it has. If you take a look at it, you’ll see that the stems are very similar to a bamboo’s stems. The leaves also have the same feel as bamboo. Seeing as it’s so similar, it makes perfect sense to have it be named Lucky Bamboo.

9. Horsetail

scouring rush horsetail 216066 640

Horsetail is a type of plant that looks crazy similar to bamboo. It has long stems with the ridges and grooves that make it appear like bamboo. If you look at pictures of horsetail side-by-side with bamboo, it’s extremely difficult to tell the difference.

8. Giant Reed

stake tube 3299868 640

Giant Reed looks a lot like bamboo, but it also looks like corn! The stems are tall, and they have plenty of leaves that make it seem like it’s holding corn. Like bamboo, these plants grow rapidly and can become very tall, making it one of the most similar bamboo look-alikes.

7. Heavenly Bamboo

shutterstock 1567455367

Like Lucky Bamboo, Heavenly Bamboo isn’t bamboo despite the name. These plants don’t grow as tall as bamboo or Giant Reed, but they have a height of 6-8 inches, and their leaves are similar in shape and size to bamboo.

6. Japanese Knotweed

shutterstock 1993563293

This choice is likely the most popular on this list. Japanese Knotweed is a popular weed known for being invasive. Many gardeners or people looking to have a nice backyard have to look out for these weeds. It’s important to know the difference between this and bamboo.

If you look at their appearance, you’ll see they have similar stems to bamboo. They have the long, grooved ridges and green shade that matches bamboo. However, the leaves are much wider than bamboo, which is the main giveaway that it isn’t the same.

If you’re unsure if the plant growing near you is bamboo or Japanese Knotweed, ask an expert. These weeds are extremely invasive, so you should take care of them as soon as possible.

5. Bamboo Palm

palm 4804296 640

Bamboo Palm isn’t bamboo, but it does look very similar. Growing up to 10 inches in height, Bamboo Palm has a similar appearance with its stems and grows in tropical regions. Since it’s much smaller than bamboo, you can put it in smaller pots and areas.

4. Dumb Cane

shutterstock 2017088951

This indoor plant prefers colder temperatures. If you’re looking for a bamboo-like plant you can keep inside, Dumb Cane is for you. It has lots of leaves that make it different from bamboo, but it has the same leaf shape and similar stems.

3. Parlor Palm

shutterstock 1753608470

Parlor Palm is another bamboo look alike that grows in rainforests. If you recognize the name, that’s because it’s one of the most sold houseplants in the world. With stems and leaves that look like bamboo, it’s no wonder why these plants are so popular worldwide.

2. Broad Leafed Dock

fallopia japonica 855349 640

Broad Leafed Dock plants look very similar to Japanese Knotweed, which by extension means they look related to bamboo. They don’t have the same stems as bamboo, but their leaves are what make them a match: the leaves are long and shaped like bamboo.

1. Lilac

leaves 4112335 640

Although this may seem like a strange choice, the long leaves resemble the leaves on bamboo, making it a close look alike. It doesn’t have the same stems as bamboo, but the shape of the plant itself is very similar to bamboo and can be mistaken as a bamboo variant. 

Summary

Bamboo is a famous plant that’s known for all the interesting traits it has. These traits include, but are not limited to: the amount of species there are (1200), the oxygen release rate, the height it can reach, and the growth rate it has.

Bamboo has a very distinct look. For starters, they have grooves and ridges on their stems that make them stand out from others. They have a beautiful green hue, and their height makes them hard to prune, but fun to look at. 

Although bamboo is a very unique plant with intriguing features, it has many lookalikes. Some of these look-alikes are: Lucky Bamboo, Horsetail, Heavenly Bamboo Japanese Knotweed, Bamboo Palm, and Parlor Palm.

Frequently Asked Questions

Since bamboo is a famous plant, and lots of people want to own stems of them, there are plenty of questions about bamboo that need to be answered. Here are three questions related to bamboo.

What Time Year Should You Plant Bamboo?

The best time of year to plant bamboo is spring. However, the fall isn’t a bad time either. The best months are March through June, and September through October. However, there’s also summer. This may seem like a strange time to plant, but it’s actually perfectly healthy.

If you decide to plant your bamboo in summer, you’ll need to take an extra precaution of having a tighter watering schedule. Make sure that the roots of the bamboo are strong, otherwise, they won’t be able to survive the summer heat.

Should You Buy Bamboo?

If you have a plan for bamboo, you should definitely buy it. Bamboo can be used for a lot of items, or if you want to freshen up your air quality. Not only that, but it’s good for aesthetic purposes as well. They look beautiful and make for great backgrounds.

With a field of bamboo, you can make your own photoshoots and create a gorgeous back or front yard. Bamboo is great for the environment, products such as carpentry, and aesthetic backgrounds.

How Much Space Does Bamboo Need To Grow?

This depends on how big they’re going to grow. In general, the more space you decide to give them, the better. You need to give them at least one square of space. If you’re going to plant multiple stems of bamboo, you should keep them at least 6-10 feet apart.

The bigger the area you give them, the healthier they’re going to end up being. You can put bamboo in small areas, but there’s a high chance their health will go downhill after 4-5 years of life. It’s best to keep them in the largest area available to you since they grow very tall.

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *