Phyllostachys nigra (Lodd. ex Lindl.) Munro popularly known as black bamboo is the Makiling Botanic Gardens’ Plant of the Month for December 2017. It belongs to the family Poaceae and is native to Taiwan and China. Black bamboo is the most popular and oldest bamboo grown in the United States since 1827. It is known in China as Zi zhu and in Japan as Kurochiko. Come and visit black bamboo in the Bambusetum of the Makiling Botanic Gardens!