Perhaps Arundinaria, the native switchcane.

Pleioblastus distichus with Bamboo mites?

Here is a link that might be useful: Pleioblastus distichus

TY, Salt. Can't find much info about that, or where it's from at all. Would that be on the side of a dirt road at AL/FL border?

Cause that's were they dumped out plants to avoid being intercepted by U.S. Department of Agriculture (or Fl / Al) agents)?

I can't tell if this is tongue-in-cheek or if you are saying it would be an illegal cash crop or an illegal plant to own at all? Does this map link work? A pretty remote spot far from any point of entry into the country, though it's perpendicular to a state highway.

No joke, though it does seem a little far fetched. People frequently dump invasive plants where they think it won't be noticed.

What would be illegal is moving any plant across state lines(sans permit) with soil. Fl and AL probably both prohibit that.

Here is a link that might be useful: Prohibited species Pleioblastus spp. =Arundinaria spp.

This post was edited by saltcedar on Wed, Oct 9, 13 at 15:33

Useful links?
http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:YgUo_bS75LEJ:www.nps.gov/cue/epmt/products/Arundinaria%2520pygmaea%25202012%2520NCREPMT.pdf+&cd=7&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us

Here is a link that might be useful: Pleioblastus pygmaeus

This post was edited by saltcedar on Wed, Oct 9, 13 at 17:06

Well this is confusing, beyond my remedial investigative abilities. The Pleio. has no pics at what I usually use for reputable sources (besides Mobot, but that's not a top-tier source to me,) USDA plants, university sites. All of the pics I've found are on commerce sites, flickr, ebay. Lookin' at search pics is just confusing me more.

What would be clues to tell these 2 plants apart? Anything that could rule one out? Weather permitting, I'll revisit the scene of this possible crime next week, but would like to know what to look for. Should probably look around at the larger entities also. Can either plant jump around via seeds, or must they creep rhizomatously? These roadsides must be mowed yearly or so, or trees would take over, so there's that in the mix...

Thanks again for your insights!

Have a look here: a bamboo garden at Foothill College. Photos aren't always detailed, but they give some measurements.
http://www.bamboogarden.org/table_pleioblastus.html
And if all else fails, there's an email for the Garden Curator (lower left).

Sorry I can't be of more help. I'm only throwing out possibilities because I'm not there to compare the species suggested. Height measurements can be off by at least double owing to soil, rainfall/climate, aspect and Variety.

Besides the height measurements, there were also diameter measurements (stem diameter, I assume). Would the stem diameters vary as much, do you think?

If you trust the images on Google then yes. They vary from coat hanger wire to thumb sized.