California arrow woods and pruning and coppicing questions

[Pat B]

Yeah, you are thinking of another plant like DC said.   
Horseweed(Conyza canadensis) is a perennial weed that dies back to the ground each winter but comes back from the crown each spring.
Horse tail, aka scouring rush(Equisetum arvense) is the tube like plant you described that has lots of silica in it and is used as sandpaper sometimes.
 Google horseweed. You may have it in your area and you could harvest it next fall for arrows.

[loefflerchuck]

SixRabbit, you sure you are talking about elderberry? "like dogwood" would not be elderberry. Elderberry shoots grow like cane but have a thinner wall and the nodes are more crooked than most cane. It is very hard to find a shoot under 1/2" that is hard enough to shoot out of more than 30# bow.

[GlisGlis]

I think severe pruning or coppicing would help the elderberry make more straight shoots

I read somewhere that an elderberry sapling was bent and tied so it had to grow almost on ground and that induced alot of straight shoots.

[Pat B]

Glis, I'd think that laying a shoot parallel on the ground would encourage side shoots to grow.

[Ryan Jacob]

Ah yes, my bad. Also I live in the Philippines so bamboo branches are go to