Arundinaria appalachiana, commonly known as hill cane, is a woody bamboo native to the Appalachian Mountains in the southeastern United States. The plant was elevated to the species level in 2006 based on new morphological and genetic information and was previously treated as a variety of Arundinaria tecta. The shortest member of its genus, hill cane ranges from 0.4–1.8 meter tall with a habit ranging from diffuse to pluri-caespitose. It is one of only three temperate species of bamboo native to North America. Hill cane is common on dry to mesic sites on upland slopes, bluffs and ridges in oak-hickory forests, which distinguishes it from other species in the genus: Arundinaria gigantea typically appears along perennial streams, while Arundinaria tecta is found in swamps and other very wet areas. Taxonomy There has long been question to the taxonomic status of the eastern North American bamboos. Two species were originally described by Thomas Walter in 1788, namely Arundo gigantea and Arundo tecta. Since that time the phenotypic diversity of the American bamboos has led to a variety of taxonomic treatments. Until the 21st century, Floyd Alonzo McClure's 1973 survey of Arundinaria was widely considered authoritative, and included only one species, Arundinaria gigantea. Arundinaria appalachiana was first distinguished under the name Arundinaria tecta var. decidua, which was applied by C.D. Beadle in 1914 upon noticing the deciduous leaves. Beadle himself and many botanists to follow noted that hill cane may be a distinct species. During the second half of the twentieth century it became quite clear that hill cane could not be properly treated within A. tecta or A. gigantea. After cladistic genetic analysis was performed by Triplett and Clark it was determined that each of the three types of cane has a monophyletic lineage, supporting the case for three species. Morphological analysis has also supported this decision. Description Arundinaria appalachiana is the smallest member of its genus with the culms (i.e. the above-ground stems) usually attaining heights of 0.5 to 1 metre, though they are sometimes up to 1.8 metres tall. They are also quite thin at 0.2 to 0.6 cm in diameter. As with all bamboos, the culms emerge from subterranean rhizomes. In the case of hill cane, these are leptomorph, meaning they spread horizontally, but they typically do not reach very far before turning up to form a new culm. The rhizomes vary somewhat morphologically in that they sometimes