Looks like bamboo but isn’t – weed, reed or plant indeed?

[blanch_69]

The stem in question is the one next to the green stake with the pointed tip.

I live in Houston, Texas so climate it sub-tropical.

This thing looks like bamboo but am pretty sure it is not. Its stem is thicker than the giant timber bamboo you can see in the photos next to it, yet more fragile. It grows faster than the bamboo (over 1" a day!) and doesn't appear to have any leaves or shoots from the stem.

Is this a weed? If so, how to I kill it as the root goes deeper than I can dig and I am scared to killing my bamboo as its roots seem to run underneath my bamboo roots.

Can anyone help?

[Newt]

Hi Blanch,

Personally, I think it is bamboo, maybe a different species of what you have planted. If no, several nasty weeds come to mind. Take a look here.
http://www.redroselandscapes.co.uk/wsknotweed.html
http://www.hort.uconn.edu/cipwg/hogw..._WEB/index.htm
http://dnr.wi.gov/invasives/fact/hogweed.htm

Any of those match what you are seeing?

Newt