Plant in part sun or bright indirect light but no hot afternoon sun and canes lack red color in deep shade. Is best is a mild climate that does not get significantly below freezing in the winter, though is cold hardy to 15 to 20° F. This beautiful bamboo can be particularly nice in cool climates that do not get hard frosts, such as in coastal central and northern California.

Himalayacalamus falconeri is in a fairly recently erected genus and this plant was previously listed confusingly as Drepanostachyum hookerianum since this name confuses it with the Blue Bamboo, Himalayacalamus hookerianus, previously known as Drepanostachyum falcatum. The name for the genus combines the regional reference to the Himalayas with the Greek word 'kalamus' meaning "reed" in reference to the plants in the genus coming from lower altitudes of the Himalaya in Bhutan, Tibet, India, and Nepal. The specific epithet honors the Scottish born Indian physician and botanist Hugh Falconer (1808–1865) and the cultivar name 'Damarapa' was given to this plant by the French botanist Jean Pierre Demoly in 1991. It has also been commonly called the Candy Cane Bamboo. We started selling this plant in 2002 but felt it better suited to cooler climates so stopped offering it in 2010, though still have a plant in the nursery garden. 

This information about Himalayacalamus falconeri 'Damarapa' displayed on this web page is based on research we have conducted in our horticultural library and from reliable online resources. We also will relate observations we have made about it as it grows in our nursery gardens and other gardens visited, as well how our crops have performed in containers in the nursery field. Where appropriate, we will also incorporate comments that we receive from others and we welcome hearing from anyone with additional information, particularly if they can share cultural information that would aid others in growing this plant.