Any botanists out there know what species of bamboo is best for making flutes?
Doc
I dunno but I had a panda break in one time and eat a few flutes before I could shoo it out.
Something needs to be done I say!
florida cane is popular, don’t know the species name, maybe it’s something like canus floridium
my Latin is weak, but that sounds like a flowering dog. 
Well, sorry, not a botanist, but I’ve done some research on making bamboo flutes, and one popular species is Phyllostachys aurea (Golden Bamboo).
I believe Olwell used some kind of cane from Florida, so Rama might be on to something there. Or, he might just be making a dog look pretty, as Scott suggested!
A lot of cheaper flutes seem to be made from what is available. On the other side of the spectrum, Shakuhachi makers value Madake bamboo from Japan especially, or China which is the cheaper version (as usual). Black bamboo is used also, but it’s a little more fragile sometimes, but if you get some good pieces, it’s fine.
Schizostachyum sp “Murray Island” is perfect for making flutes, as it has some of the longest internodes, and a diameter of approximately 1”. I believe that it’s only able to grow in USDA zone10 (Florida, etc). One of the very few cultivators of it in the US is called “A Bamboo Man” (Gary Rich), in Miami Florida. 305-378-9449
I’ve never made flutes with this stuff, but it sure seems like the plausible type for it.
i don’t know myself but i have been growing bamboo in my backyard for 7 years. i live in west virginia and was told by the person who gave it to me that it was indigenous to west virginia. i can believe that since it’s now the thickness that would make really good bamboo fishing poles. i’ve seen a field of bamboo on the bank of a local river that had a thickness of a pound of spaghetti held in a hand. that looks like it would make a flute.
i caution folks about planting bamboo in a yard. i happen to have planted spreading bamboo. there is also clumping bamboo. the guy who gave me the bamboo told me it would spread 6 feet in every direction every year. boy was he right. the bamboo has spread to my neighbors’ yards and in the spring, i kill more bamboo than i keep. in the spring, i cut down all the bamboo and make a privacy trellis around my pool. i didn’t get a chance to do that this year. my yard and my neighbors’ yards are never going to be the same again.
what i planted was a little root system of bamboo that i thought would make a nice little border ground cover. i had no idea that it would be 15 feet tall. i have seen some older growth that was well over 25 feet tall. in the winter it stays green and looks quite beautiful. but i still caution you.
We have clumping giant timber bamboo. I think if it’s good enough for furniture it’s probably good enough for a flute. I hope to make a Quena someday. Unfortunately our yard doesn’t get a lot of sun so it hasn’t been growing very fast. It is tall, but hasn’t spread much. If I took a stalk it might be missed.
I wonder how long to dry after cutting before you can make a flute?
I’ve never made a bamboo flute, but the gentleman at this page: http://www.webspirit.com/fluteman/book/selecting_bamboo.htm recommends Phyllostachys Aurea or “Golden Bamboo”. If you’re serious, it looks like it would be worthwhile to download his ebook.
-Don
I know Billy Miller dries his for about a year.
Any species of bamboo will make a flute - provided it has a relatively correct inner and outer diameter. I’ve made the occasional flute from bamboo growing in my yard. Most of the makers I have met seem to use what they can get by mail order or from even garden suppliers. The species name isn’t as important as just being able to get the stuff!
Casey
Danger! Weeeeeeeeeds!
There’s a ton of bamboo in this part of the country. If you live in the subtropical zone of the US, be careful when you plant bamboo in your yard. It takes OVER.
Seriously.
Stuart
Anyone have a panda?
it is definitely a bamboo cane that grows in Florida, i used to have some in the back yard, but i will get back to you on the proper name of it.
golden( Phyllostachys aurea), madake, tiger, black------------golden is great and varies in thickness-i have made many with this one
There’s bamboo and then there is arunda, an invasive plant with variegated green and white leaves many people think is bamboo. Both will take over.
i have used bamboo from Cost plus , pier one imports