bamboo

bamboo,

plant of the family Poaceae (grass family), chiefly of warm or tropical regions, where it is sometimes an extremely important component of the vegetation. It is most abundant in the monsoon area of E Asia. Bamboos are the the largest grasses, sometimes reaching 100 ft (30 m). The stalks are round (rarely square), jointed, sometimes thorny, and hollow or solid with evergreen or deciduous leaves. Some types die after fruiting and some do not flower until they are about 30 years old. In many places bamboo is used as wood for construction work, furniture, utensils, fiber, paper, fuel, and innumerable small articles. Bamboo sprouts are eaten as a vegetable, and the grains of some species are also utilized for food. The bamboo has long been used for decorative purposes, both in gardens and in art. In the United States the native bamboo is a cane. The most common bamboo is Bambusa arundinacea. Bamboo is classified in the division Magnoliophyta, class Lilopsida, order Cyperales, family Poaceae.

Bibliography

See F. A. McClure, The Bamboos (1966).

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia™ Copyright © 2013, Columbia University Press. Licensed from Columbia University Press. All rights reserved. www.cc.columbia.edu/cu/cup/

bamboo

An organic, natural material that is lightweight, durable, flexible, biodegradable, and recyclable. It is fast growing and rapidly renewable. When treated, it becomes as strong as steel and may be used as the main structural material in small dwellings. It is a more renewable material than wood because it is a fast-growing grass/reed that can be harvested after only 4–6 years of growth, much shorter than the 30–60 years required for comparable wood species. Replanting is not necessary, as it regenerates on its own. It is stronger than oak, which is widely considered the most durable hardwood. When laminated, bamboo is nearly as strong as soft steel. Bamboo doesn’t swell or shrink as hardwoods do, making it a perfect material for furniture and flooring. See also: Biomaterials

Illustrated Dictionary of Architecture Copyright © 2012, 2002, 1998 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved

bamboo

bamboo

One of the most useful and fastest growing plants in the world. (up to 3 ft in one day! 100cm) In the grass family. Building material and food. It’s the main food source of the Giant Panda, proving itself as a rich complete food source. One of the best sources of silica to strengthen blood vessel walls, reduce wrinkles for healthy skin, reduces arterial inflammation, and prevents artery plaque build up. Strengthens the heart muscle and relaxes blood vessels. You can get it as a powder. (Use bamboo stalk powder, not leaf powder for silica) The best parts to eat are the young shoots (when it’s a young tender plant). Bamboo can grow anywhere, even where it’s 50 below. There are over 200 varieties. Strip off the hard outer shell and cut up the soft insides. Steaming or cooking lessens the bitterness. Remember bitter is good for digestion. Bamboo is an amazing plant. When planted, nothing shows up above ground for 5 years. That’s because all the work is happening underground, building a massively strong root system- then, the fifth year, it shoots up 50 feet into the air like a rocket ! In Asia, they use bamboo to build scaffolding up the side of skyscrapers- that’s how strong it is. It’s so tough, bamboo shoots appeared out of the ground at Hiroshima within days of the atomic blast! "Lucky Bamboo", the curled stems sold in Asian stores is NOT bamboo- it is Dracaena, which is not edible and belongs to water lily family.

Edible Plant Guide © 2012 Markus Rothkranz

The following article is from The Great Soviet Encyclopedia (1979). It might be outdated or ideologically biased.

Bamboo

 

(Bambusoideae), a subfamily of grasses that is sometimes classified in the separate family Bambusaceae. Bamboos are predominantly rhizomatous perennials with well-developed woody stems (culms). Bamboos can attain a height of more than 40 m and a diameter of up to 30 cm. The leaves are sheathed with small petioles. The flowers usually have six stamens. Bamboos bloom either annually or over significant intervals of time. In many bamboos the underground parts die simultaneously in all the individuals after blooming (sometimes over large territories).

There are about 50 genera and 600 species, which grow chiefly in the tropics and subtropics of Southeast Asia and the Malay Archipelago. There are fewer bamboos in Africa and America, very few in Australia, and none in Europe. A small number of bamboos that have adapted to a temperate climate grow wild in eastern Asia. In the USSR (on the Kuril Islands and in Sakhalin) several species are found; they form dense, sometimes impenetrable thickets in the forests under the canopy of the trees. About 20 species of bamboos are cultivated on the Black Sea coast, mainly in the Caucasus. Some of them—for example Pseudosasa japonica—are rather widely found; several species from the genera Pleioblastus and Phyllostachys can be cultivated to grow to nearly normal size and are important to industry.

Bamboos have a wide number of uses. The large woody culms are used for building houses, bridges, and water pipes and for manufacturing furniture, baskets, blinds, and mats. The young shoots and seeds of certain bamboos are edible, and the pulp of certain species contains a sweet juice that produces the so-called bamboo sugar.

REFERENCES

Ginkul, S. G. Bambuki i ikh kul’tura v SSSR. Batumi, 1938.
Camus, E. G. Les Bambusées: Monographie, biologie, culture, principaux usages. Paris, 1913.
McClure, F. A. Bamboos:A Fresh Perspective. Cambridge (Mass.), 1966.

M. E. KIRPICHNIKOV

The Great Soviet Encyclopedia, 3rd Edition (1970-1979). © 2010 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.

bamboo

[bam′bü]

(botany)

The common name of various tropical and subtropical, perennial, ornamental grasses in five genera of the family Gramineae characterized by hollow woody stems up to 6 inches (15 centimeters) in diameter.

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific & Technical Terms, 6E, Copyright © 2003 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

bamboo

1. any tall treelike tropical or semitropical fast-growing grass of the genus Bambusa, having hollow woody-walled stems with ringed joints and edible young shoots (bamboo shoots)

2. the stem of any of these plants, used for building, poles, and furniture

3. any of various bamboo-like grasses of the genera Arundinaria, Phyllostachys or Dendrocalamus

Collins Discovery Encyclopedia, 1st edition © HarperCollins Publishers 2005