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Posts Tagged ‘bamboo’

Bamboo plants are among the world’s most useful and versatile plants. Distinguishing it from trees and other plant life, it has an average growth rate of two inches every hour. By far, this makes it the fastest growing plant in the world.

Unlike many would believe, bamboo plants are not trees. In fact, they are evergreen grasses. Currently, there are over a thousand species and nearly a hundred different grass subgenera. As different species can be used for different things, this variety helps to ensure the lasting survival of a bamboo plant.

This fast growing rate makes bamboo plants invaluable in eastern regions such as India, China and Japan. As the bamboo plants are used as food, wood and fuel, the fast growing rate makes this renewable resource a cornerstone of those societies. Bamboo, when properly treated, can be extremely durable and long lasting, it provides an easy solution to many problems.

One of the most common uses of bamboo plants, is it’s cultivation as a wood product. Because of it’s accelerated growth rate and durable qualities, bamboo is often used as a wood based product for both the interior and exterior of many homes, this offers endless possibilities for architects and interior designers. In addition to construction material for homes, bamboo is also used on smaller wood products people use on a daily basis, such as chop sticks, tables, cutting boards, sushi bowls and other kitchen accessories.

They are several species in the bamboo family that provide us with a food source. It is important to note, that not all species of bamboo shoots can be ingested. For example, the giant bamboo plant contain cyanide within its shoots. Cyanide can be lethal to humans.

In the animal kingdom, several survive with the help of bamboo plants. Most notably is the panda, which only eats bamboo stalks and leaves.

Bamboo is one of the most valuable resources we have today, however, there have been some challenges to cultivating it. In South Asia, there are several factors bamboo farmers have to confront and one of which is the massive blooming season. This is most notable in the Bay of Bengal, where the bamboo plants bloom once every 30 to 35 years. It is during this season that the growing of bamboo plants can inherently attract rats, causing a risk to nearby human populated areas. Rats are attracted to the fruit as it falls to the ground. As the rats swarm, they bring disease with them and cause famine. Famine often will follow this type of disease in these areas and once it begins to spread, many human deaths can occur. With the increased technology of today’s society, solutions to the infestation and disease problems are being addressed, in a manner that will preserve the bamboo plant during its fruiting season.

Bamboo is a versatile plant and can grow in many regions across the world. Some of the main bamboo resources are cultivated in East Asia, South America and in some African regions. When people think of Bamboo, they most often think of it as the stuff panda bears eat, however, you can now see that it is used extensively as building materials and certain bamboo plants offer a good source of food.