Welcome to Bamboo
What is Bamboo?
Bamboo is a grass that grows over wide areas of Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, and Latin America, where various peoples depend on it for food, shelter, medicine and art. Also known as "brother" by the Vietnamese, "the wood of the poor" in India, and "friend of the people" in China....it is strong and hard, but light and flexible. It is easy to plant, and grows amazingly fast - sometimes up to 4 feet in one day. It is also edible, and is known for its medicinal properties.
Bamboos are a family of giant, woody grasses. Bamboo is a common name for 70 genera and 1,200 species in the grass family. All bamboos fall within the subfamily Bambusoideae, one of the most diverse groups within the grass family and the most primitive.
Bamboo varieties range in height from the smallest at 6 inches to the giant variety at 130 feet. In the Southern province of Yunnan, grows the largest bamboo in China - Dendrocalamus sinicus . Its stems are 30 cm in diameter and may grow 30 m tall. A plant's species and growing conditions determine its size. The largest bamboos grow in tropical regions, whereas smaller or dwarf bamboos are more common in temperate regions, but most bamboos originate in Asia.
Where does it grow?
Bamboo is ecologically cosmopolitan in nature and grows in many parts of the world. The only continents that are not within its natural range are Europe and Antartica. Its distribution ranges from 46N to 47S latitude and thrives at elevations of 4,000 m in the mountains of the Himalayas. Some species of bamboo are deciduous (shedding), while some are evergreen.
Many people are unaware of it, but various species of bamboo can grow almost anywhere in North America. EarthSOS is located in Vancouver at the 49th parallel, and it thrives here, too! |
