Is Bamboo a Tree?

Bamboo is one of the most popular plants gaining more dominance due to its broader use in our daily lives. Even if you can’t see bamboo planted around you, you can still see many bamboo products.

Bamboo belongs to the Poaceae family, and there are nearly 1500 species of it in the world. 

Is Bamboo a Tree?

Bamboo plant or bamboo tree? Probably, you have heard both of them, and since you have seen giant tree-like bamboos around, you perceive it as a tree.

However, technically it is a plant, not a tree. If you are disappointed, don’t worry about it because, in India, where a remarkable portion of bamboos grow globally, the government declared bamboo as a tree so that illegal cutting and transporting of bamboos can be banned.

Scientific remarks state that there are two types of bamboos: woody type bamboo and herbaceous type bamboo. Herbaceous bamboos seem like other plants, which are green and small herbs on the soil.

On the other hand, Woody bamboo confuses many people since they grow on forest lands and seem like any other tree in the forest at first glance.

How Does Bamboo Grow?

Bamboo is reputable for its amazing growth rate. Some kinds of them are the fastest-growing plants in the world. Such faster-growing types of bamboo can grow more than 1,5 inches in an hour. It is really exceptional.

As a colonial plant, bamboo grows taller and wider first; then, it sends more energy to its root to grow more shoots that will be new bamboo canes in the future.

Generally, the growing period lasts for 60 days, and after that, bamboo canes direct their energy to grow new canes. Following this growing and spreading circle, a few bamboo canes might turn into a small bamboo forest in a short time.

What Does Bamboo Need to Grow?

Bamboo plants grow in many parts of the world naturally. It needs no fertilizers or else normally. Since many species of bamboos can survive under various conditions, they are highly versatile and resilient against different conditions.

However, there are still some optimal conditions for them to grow faster and bigger. For example, many bamboo species tend to grow fastest under full sunlight and in slightly acid and moist soil.

Is Bamboo Eco-Friendly?

Bamboo is one of the most eco-friendly plants on the planet by providing high carbon sequestration, standing as a good water barrier, being a fireproof and light construction material. Bamboo plants are distinctive with their exceptional carbon sequestration capacity. This means they absorb more CO2 and produce more O2 for us.

Bamboo is also preferred by many local villagers who want to save their lands from floods or soil erosion. Thanks to their dense roots, bamboo plants are great barriers against excess flood.

Another good thing about bamboo is that they are highly resistant to fire thanks to the high amount of silicate acid they contain.

Finally, bamboo plants are smart alternatives to heavy construction materials, especially in earthquake-prone regions. Also, this environment-friendly bamboo plant can be used as a supplementary construction material in addition to regular bricks and stones.

Is Bamboo Toxic?

Bamboo is an important traditional food in Asian cuisine. They serve it in a salad, or they make bamboo soup. Also, thanks to its healing effect on wounds, people use it as part of traditional medicine.

However, especially young bamboo shoots might be dangerous for you since they contain taxiphyllin. The good news is that you can get rid of the toxic ingredient by cooking the plants at high temperatures.

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