Heavenly Bamboo: A Rant.

Hello! I hope you and yours are staying well in these uncertain times.

I know, I'm sick of that opening line as well. But as you regurgitate your Sunday lunch, please aim for your Nandina patch. I'll explain why.

Nandina domestica is a perky little shrub that pokes burgundy and green leaves from the base of every business and virtually every house in Ridgeland, MS. It's often called "Heavenly Bamboo" due to its superficial similarity to members of Bambusoideae. It's quite a misnomer, as Nandina is actually a member of the Barberry family and probably spawned from the gates of Hell after the Global Flood (because the God I serve wouldn't have allowed it to survive).

Nandina domestica at Mississippi State University

And no, I don't just hate Nandina because it's about as cliché of a plant as you can buy, or because they're as ugly as a mashed pug. They're what ecologists refer to as an invasive species.

When most people hear the words "invasive species," they imagine something on the scale of fire ants, kudzu, or water hyacinth. Some people might think of garden weeds. But few people would imagine that landscape designers across the country would intentionally install invasive plants into yards. And besides, Nandina definitely isn't invasive, because you've had it in your yard for years and it's never caused any problems.

The first reason that Nandina is invasive is that its seeds can be carried miles away by birds and, once sprouted, can quickly spread by runners to form dense thickets. I've mainly encountered these colonies in disturbed, wooded areas near human development, but the Arkansas Audubon society reports that it is also encroaching on national parks. Like Kudzu, Nandina takes up space that could hold native plants such as Mayapples and Trilliums, both of which are involved in mutually beneficial transactions with the ecosystem. In a sense, Nandina is a hobo, sitting on the curb and blocking quality nectar and fruit vendors such as Trilliums and Mayapples.

The second reason is that Nandina kills birds.

I know many well meaning gardeners who plant Nandina because its long lasting berries must help beleaguered birds in late winter. But there's a reason the berries last so long--they contain a trainload of cyanide, which most birds are clever enough to avoid.

Keyword: "most."

Photo credit: Silver Leapers (Flickr)

Cedar Waxwings are an exception. They have been known to stuff their gullets with Nandina berries only to die within the hour from internal hemorrhaging.

The worst part is that Nandina berries only take about half an hour to pass through a bird's digestive system, so the bird-butchering berries have the chance to germinate into more anti-waxwing home defense systems. Which is fine, I guess, if you're sadistic and like to see small, fluffy animals die of internal bleeding. In which case, feel free to keep Nandina in your yard.

NOV

Bibliography and further reading:

Davis, Jerry W. "Nandina Berries Kill Birds." Audubon Arkcansas. Accessed 28 June, 2020. https://ar.audubon.org/news/nandina-berries-kill-birds.

Woldemeskel, Moges, and Eloise Styer. "Toxicity Due to Nandina domestica in Cedar Waxwings (Bombycilla cedorum)." University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine. Accessed 28 June, 2020. https://vet.uga.edu/toxicity-due-to-nandina-domestica-in-cedar-waxwings-bombycilla-cedroru/.

Long, Donna L. "The Relationship Between Birds, Berries, and Fruit." Accessed 28 June, 2020. https://donnallong.com/relationship-between-birds-berries-and-fruit/.