For My Reference: River Cane

This was shared by the Georgia Native Plant group. These sorts of things have a way of disappearing from the internet so I preserve it here -- with original link to Southeastern Grasslands Institute.

"Many people don’t realize that canebrakes are a special type of woody grassland dominated by a native bamboo species. Check out this great post about river cane." This post shared from Southeastern Grasslands Institute

Arundinaria gigantea, or “river cane,” is a species of bamboo endemic to the southeastern United States. Cane once grew in large colonies called canebrakes covering thousands of acres in the southeastern United States, but today these canebrakes are considered endangered ecosystems.

Southeastern Native Americans used cane for a variety of purposes. They plastered clay mud called daub on strips of cane known as wattles to build strong, weatherproof houses. They wove cane mats to line floors and interior walls. Indian cane basketry still remains the finest and most distinctive of the southeastern Indian arts, and the Poarch Band of Creek Indians is committed to restoration of cane and preserving its traditional uses.

This once common habitat was populated by deer, bears (and for a time) buffalo, turkeys, timber rattlesnakes (known as canebrake rattlesnakes in the area), and cane-cutter rabbits, and it’s disappearance likely helped send some species to their extinction, especially the Bachman's warbler and passenger pigeons.

Alabama's canebrakes began to disappear with the rise of western agriculture. Settlers associated the cane lands with fertility, and they quickly learned to seek out canebrakes as places to establish fields. The canebrakes also served as forage for cattle and horses, who grew fat grazing on its high-quality foliage.

Today, canebrakes are considered endangered ecosystems. Unlike the sizeable surviving or reestablished stands of longleaf pine or old-growth hardwoods, canebrakes are a nearly vanished feature of Alabama's frontier landscape. Moist, fertile soils will still support canebrakes, but cane is slow to get started. Most stands of tall cane found in present-day Alabama are Asian bamboos imported for their superior quality as fishing poles or as ornamentals.