Bamboos
are a group of perennial
evergreen (except for certain temperate species) plants in the true
grass family Poaceae, subfamily Bambusoideae, tribe Bambuseae. Giant
bamboos are the largest members of the grass family.
In
bamboo, wheat and other
grasses, the internodal regions of the plant stem are hollow, but the
vascular bundles, as seen in cross section, are scattered throughout
the stem instead of in a cylindrical arrangement. Secondary,
dicotyledonous woody xylem is absent. The absence of secondary growth,
wood, causes the stems of monocots, even of palms and large bamboos, to
be columnar rather than tapering.
Bamboos
are also the fastest
growing plants in the world. They are capable of growing up to 60
centimeters (24 in.) or more per day due to a unique rhizome-dependent
system. However, this astounding growth rate is highly dependent on
local soil and climatic conditions. Bamboos are of notable economic and
cultural significance in East Asia and South East Asia where they are
used extensively in everyday life as building materials, as a food
source and as a highly versatile raw product.
There
are more than 70
genera divided into about 1,000 species. They are found in diverse
climates, from cold mountains to hot tropical regions. They occur
across East Asia, from 50°N latitude in Sakhalin through to
Northern Australia, and west to India and the Himalayas. They also
occur in sub-Saharan Africa, and in the Americas from the Mid-Atlantic
United States south to Argentina and Chile, reaching their southernmost
point anywhere, at 47°S latitude. Major areas with no native
bamboos include Europe and Antarctica.
