Japan is home to many iconic plants, for example the Japanese plum tree (Prunus mume), and the red spider lily (Lycoris radiata). The odd thing is that neither of these species is native to Japan, but rather are imports from China. Moso bamboo (Phyllostachys edulis), another Japanese icon, shares their fate. If that weren’t enough, being in truth a very large grass, moso cannot be considered a tree either, despite its arboreal size. Regardless of these facts, moso remains the most important timber bamboo in the world, and has a central role in Japan’s traditional culture, ranging from construction material to food.