Bamboo
Bamboo is a name for over 1,400 species of giant grasses in 115 different genera.[1][2] All bamboos have wood-like stems. Bamboo mainly grows in Africa, America and in Asia but can easily grow in Europe.
| Bamboo | |
|---|---|
| File:BambooKyoto.jpg | |
| Bamboo forest in Kyoto, Japan | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Order: | Poales |
| Family: | Poaceae |
| Clade: | BOP clade |
| Subfamily: | Bambusoideae |
| Diversity | |
| >1,462 (known species) species in 115 genera | |
Bamboo grows in clumps (although running varieties exist). The runners can be up to 40 metres (130 feet). David Farrelly, in his book The Book of Bamboo, says that bamboo has been measured to grow 1.21 meters (47.6 inches) in a 24-hour period. However, most bamboos (used for gardening) will grow more like 3 cm to 5 cm (1-2 inches) a day.
Almost all species of bamboo have hollow stems divided into nodes or joints. The stem can be up to 30 cm (a foot) in diameter. Each of the nodes has one side bud. Not all of those buds develop into branches, but some do. This makes bamboo one of the few grasses that have a branch structure. Bamboo rarely flowers. Some species only flower once, and then die off. The distance of two joints in a bamboo is the basis of a traditional Japanese unit of measurement, shaku.
Uses
Bamboo is used to make lots of things and is a construction material. The stems of larger trees are used to build houses, bridges, and other things that have to be constructed such as boat and wickerwork. It can be used for scaffolding. Bamboo is an easy construction material and not expensive.
Bamboo is almost the only food of giant pandas. The shoots can also be used as human food. Bamboo shoots are usually cooked before being eaten. Most temperate bamboos can be eaten without cooking if they are not too bitter. As some may contain cyanogens, cooking is better. The only Phyllostachys known to have potentially toxic concentrations of cyanogens is Ph. heterocycla pubescens.
Bamboo Media
- Bambusoideae World map.png
Worldwide distribution of bamboos (Bambusoideae)
- Bamboo Canopy.jpg
Canopy formed by the Bamboos, Periyar National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary, India
- PICT0079 bambus-i-blomst 13apr2007 1200-81.jpg
Bamboo flowering in spring in a garden in Roskilde, Denmark (spring 2007)
- Giant panda eating bamboo.jpg
Bamboo is the main food of the giant panda, making up about 99% of its diet.
- Bamboo Harvesting - Mahimapur - Murshidabad 2017-03-28 6129.JPG
Bamboo harvested at Murshidabad
- Local farmer nearby the park.jpg
Harvested bamboo transported by river near Ramsai, Jalpaiguri
Unprocessed bamboo shoots in a Japanese market
Daennip-cha (bamboo leaf tea)
Khao lam (Thai: ข้าวหลาม) is glutinous rice with sugar and coconut cream cooked in specially prepared bamboo sections of different diameters and lengths
- Tukir (a way of cooking using bamboo as recipient to cook in the fire).jpg
In East Timor, cooking food in bamboo is called tukir.
References
- ↑ Farrelly, David 1984. The Book of Bamboo. Sierra Club Books. ISBN 978-0-87156-825-0
- ↑ Soreng, Robert J.; Peterson, Paul M.; Romaschenko, Konstantin; Davidse, Gerrit; Teisher, Jordan K.; Clark, Lynn G.; Barberá, Patricia; Gillespie, Lynn J.; Zuloaga, Fernando O. 2017. A worldwide phylogenetic classification of the Poaceae (Gramineae) II: An update and a comparison of two 2015 classifications. Journal of Systematics and Evolution. 55 (4): 259–290. doi:10.1111/jse.12262. ISSN 1674-4918
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