One of the most versatile and useful plants in the world is the bamboo plant. Unlike trees, bamboo grows at an astonishing rate of up to 2 inches per hour. At this rate, this makes the bamboo plant is the fastest growing plant in the world. There have been reported cases in which bamboo plants have had a growth rate, of up to 4 meter per day.
Many people think that bamboo plants are trees, but they are not trees, if fact they are evergreen grass. These grasses fall into 91 different genre, with over 1,000 species currently known. As each species can be used for different things, this variety works to make certain of the lasting survival of this plant.
This astonishing growing rate makes bamboo plants priceless in eastern regions such as India, China and Japan, as the bamboo plants can be used as food, wood and fuel. The fast growing rate makes this renewable resource a cornerstone of those societies. As bamboo, when properly treated, can be extremely durable and long lasting, it provides an easy solution to many problems.
One of the well known uses of bamboo plants is their cultivation as building materials. In construction, bamboo can create massive, secure scaffoldings, provide a base wood over slower growing trees, and provide ornamental value to both the interior and exterior of homes. Other uses of bamboo wood include tools such as durable cutting boards, chop sticks, tables and other pieces of furniture as well as components in well known games such as go. Bamboo plants are also very popular in outdoor landscaping..
When bamboo plants are young, the shoots can be consumed from many different varieties. However, not all types of bamboo shoots should be consumed. {For example, several species like the giant bamboo}~As an example, the giant bamboo contains cyanide within the shoots. Cyanide can be lethal to humans.
Many types of animals live by eating bamboo. Most notably is the panda, which only consumes bamboo stalks and leaves.
Even with the many of modern uses of bamboo, bamboo plants do not come without faults. The bamboo plant, for reasons yet proven by science, tend to have mass blooming and fruiting seasons. This is most notable in the Bay of Bengal, where the bamboo plants bloom once every 30 to 35 years. This mass blooming and fruiting causes dire consequences to human populations surrounding the bloom. As the fruit falls to the ground, rats gather in mass. As the rats gather in mass, the can cause economic and health problems to people. This can lead to many human deaths, as there is little that can be done to stop the fruiting once it has begun. As the bamboo populations require the fruiting season for survival, they cannot be simply destroyed to prevent the rat swarms.
Bamboo is a hardy plant and can grow in many regions across the globe. They are most commonly found in East Asia, although they can thrive in sub-Saharan Africa, North and South America. Bamboo does not survive in Europe, North Africa, western Asia, Canada and Antarctica.