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{{SPlantbox
{{SPlantbox
|genus=Bamboo
|familia=Poaceae
|genus=Bambuseae*
|common_name=Bamboo
|habit=bamboo
|lifespan=perennial
|exposure=sun, part-sun
|water=moist, moderate, dry
|features=evergreen, naturalizes, invasive, foliage, drought tolerant
|Temp Metric=°F
|Temp Metric=°F
|jumpin=If this plant info box on watering; zones; height; etc. is mostly empty you can click on the edit tab and fill in the blanks!
|image=BambooKyoto.jpg
|image=Upload.png
|image_width=180
|image_width=240
|image_caption=Bamboo forest
}}
}}
'''Bamboo''' ''{{Audio|En-us-bamboo.ogg|listen}}'' are a group of [[perennial plant|perennial]] [[evergreen]] (except for certain temperate species) [[plant]]s in the [[true grass]] family '''[[Poaceae]]''', subfamily [[Bambusoideae]], tribe '''[[Bambuseae]]'''. '''Giant bamboos''' are the largest members of the grass family. 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.
There are more than 70 [[genus|genera]] divided into about 1,000 species.<ref>Growth pattern and photosynthetic activity of different bamboo species growing in the Botanical Garden of Rome (Flora, volume 203)</ref> They are found in diverse climates, from cold mountains to hot [[tropical]] regions. They occur across [[East Asia]], from 50°N latitude in [[Sakhalin]]{{Citation needed|date=November 2009}} through to [[Northern Australia]], and west to [[India]] and the [[Himalayas]].<ref>http://www.springerlink.com/content/gu726j88x87k4508/</ref> They also occur in [[sub-Saharan Africa]], and in the [[Americas]] from the [[Mid-Atlantic United States]]<ref>http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=ARGI </ref> south to [[Argentina]] and [[Chile]], reaching their southernmost point anywhere, at 47°S latitude. Continental [[Europe]] is not known to have any native species of bamboo.<ref>New RHS Dictionary of Gardening</ref>
===Growth===
Bamboo is the fastest-growing known plant on Earth; it has been measured surging skyward as fast as 121cm in a 24-[[hour]] period,<ref>The Book of Bamboo, 1984 ISBN 087156825X</ref> and can also reach [[maximal]] growth rate exceeding one meter (39 inches) per hour for short periods of time. Many prehistoric bamboos exceeded heights of 85 m. Primarily growing in regions of warmer climates during the [[Cretaceous period]], vast fields existed in what is now Asia.
Unlike trees, all bamboo has the potential to grow to full height and girth in a single [[growing season]] of 3–4 months. During this first season, the clump of young shoots grow vertically, with no branching. In the next year, the pulpy wall of each [[culm]] slowly dries and hardens. The culm begins to sprout branches and leaves from each [[Node (botany)|node]]. During the third year, the culm further hardens. The shoot is now considered a fully mature culm. Over the next 2–5 years (depending on species), fungus and mould begin to form on the outside of the culm, which eventually penetrate and overcome the culm. Around 5 – 8 years later (species and climate dependent), the fungal and mold growth cause the culm to collapse and decay. This brief life means culms are ready for harvest and suitable for use in construction within 3 – 7 years.
===Mass flowering===
Although some bamboos flower every year, most species flower infrequently. In fact, many bamboos only flower at intervals as long as 60 or 120 years. These taxa exhibit mass flowering (or gregarious flowering), with all plants in the population flowering simultaneously. The longest mass flowering interval known is 130 years, and is found for all the species ''[[Phyllostachys bambusoides]]'' (Sieb. & Zucc.). In this species, all plants of the same stock flower at the same time, regardless of differences in geographic locations or climatic conditions, then the bamboo dies.
===Ornamental bamboos===
There are two general patterns for the growth of bamboo: "clumping" (sympodial) and "running" (monopodial). Clumping bamboo species tend to spread slowly, as the growth pattern of the rhizomes is to simply expand the root mass gradually, similar to ornamental grasses. "Running" bamboos, on the other hand, need to be taken care of in cultivation because of their potential for aggressive behavior. They spread mainly through their [[root]]s and/or [[rhizomes]], which can spread widely underground and send up new culms to break through the surface. Running bamboo species are highly variable in their tendency to spread; this is related to both the species and the [[soil]] and [[climate]] conditions. Some can send out runners of several meters a year, while others can stay in the same general area for long periods. If neglected, over time they can cause problems by moving into adjacent areas.
[[Image:Phyllostachys nigra folium.jpg|right|thumb|Bamboo foliage with black stems (probably ''Phyllostachys nigra'')]]
Bamboos seldom and unpredictably flower, and the frequency of flowering varies greatly from species to species. Once flowering takes place, a plant will decline and often die entirely. Although there are always a few species of bamboo in flower at any given time, collectors desiring to grow specific bamboo typically obtain their plants as divisions of already-growing plants, rather than waiting for seeds to be produced.
Regular maintenance will indicate major growth directions and locations. Once the rhizomes are cut, they are typically removed; however, rhizomes take a number of months to mature and an immature, severed rhizome will usually cease growing if left in-ground. If any bamboo shoots come up outside of the bamboo area afterwards, their presence indicates the precise location of the missed rhizome. The fibrous roots that radiate from the rhizomes do not grow up to be more bamboo so if they stay in the ground, that's not a problem.
The second way to control growth is by surrounding the plant or grove with a physical barrier. This method is very detrimental to ornamental bamboo as the bamboo within quickly becomes rootbound—showing all the signs of any unhealthy containerized plant. Symptoms include rhizomes escaping over the top, down underneath, and bursting the barrier. The bamboo within generally deteriorates in quality as fewer and fewer culms grow each year, culms live shorter periods, new culm diameter decreases, fewer leaves grow on the culms, and leaves turn yellow as the unnaturally contained rootmass quickly depletes the soil of nutrients, and curling leaves as the condensed roots cannot collect the water they need to sustain the foliage. Concrete and specially-rolled HDPE plastic are the usual materials used. This is placed in a 60–90cm deep ditch around the planting, and angled out at the top to direct the rhizomes to the surface. (This is only possible if the barrier is installed in a straight line.) Strong rhizomes and tools can penetrate plastic barriers with relative ease, so great care must be taken. Barriers usually fail sooner or later, or the bamboo within suffers greatly. Casual observation of many failed barriers has shown bursting of 60 mil HDPE in 5–6 years, and rhizomes diving underneath in as few as 3 years post install. In small areas regular maintenance is the only perfect method of controlling the spreading bamboos. Bamboo in barriers is much more difficult to remove than free-spreading bamboo. Barriers and edging are unnecessary for clump-forming bamboos. Clump-forming bamboos may eventually need to have portions removed if they get too large.
The [[ornamental plant]] sold in containers and marketed as "lucky bamboo" is actually an entirely unrelated plant, ''[[Dracaena sanderiana]]''. It is a resilient member of the lily family that grows in the dark, tropical rainforests of Southeast Asia and Africa. Lucky Bamboo has long been associated with the Eastern practice of [[Feng Shui]]. On a similar note, [[Japanese knotweed]] is also sometimes mistaken for a bamboo but it grows wild and is considered an invasive species.
==Cultivation==
===Propagation===
===Pests and diseases===
==Varieties==
For the most popular garden bamboo plants, see the [[List of bamboo plants]]. Otherwise, there are six subtribes of bamboo listed below. Within those there are around 92 [[genus|genera]] and 5,000 [[species]] The divisions of the family are complex. For more information, see the full article '''[[Taxonomy of the Bambuseae]]'''.
==Gallery==
<gallery perrow=5>
Image:Bamboo Cathedral Chaguaramas Trinidad.jpg|A "Bamboo Cathedral"
Image:Giant Bamboo with person.jpg|''Giant bamboo'' with person to show relative size.
File:Bamboo2500ppx.JPG|Small, ornamental bamboo look-a-like plant.
Image:Giant Bamboo.jpg|A grove of ''[[giant bamboo]]'' in ''[[Ecuador]]''.
File:Pseudosasa japonica7.jpg|Arrow bamboo wood
Image:Bamboo bonsai Chengdu.jpg|Bamboo [[bonsai]].
Image:BambuMill.jpg|Making a bamboo undershot [[water wheel]]
</gallery>
==Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture==
{{Inc|
{{Inc|
Bamboo. Various perennial ornamental grasses embracing the genera and species of the tribe Bambuseae, order Gramineae, cultivated for the surpassing beauty of their foliage and habit; some of them are hardy even in parts of the northern states, but they are warm-country plants.
Bamboo. Various perennial ornamental grasses embracing the genera and species of the tribe Bambuseae, order Gramineae, cultivated for the surpassing beauty of their foliage and habit; some of them are hardy even in parts of the northern states, but they are warm-country plants.
Oxytenanthera. A genus of the subtribe Eubambuseae, of tall, shrubby plants from the E. Indies and Afr., characterized by long, cylindrical or conical spikelets in compact fascicles; the anthers ending in a bristle.- O.abyssinica, Munro (Bambusa abyssinica, Rich.). Infl. Capitates, large and spiny: lvs. About 6 in. long, 6-8 lines broad. Native of Trop. Afr.
Oxytenanthera. A genus of the subtribe Eubambuseae, of tall, shrubby plants from the E. Indies and Afr., characterized by long, cylindrical or conical spikelets in compact fascicles; the anthers ending in a bristle.- O.abyssinica, Munro (Bambusa abyssinica, Rich.). Infl. Capitates, large and spiny: lvs. About 6 in. long, 6-8 lines broad. Native of Trop. Afr.
}}
}}
==References==
==References==
<references/>
<references/>
* Puri, H.S. (2003) ''RASAYANA: Ayurvedic Herbs for Rejuvenation and Longivity''. Taylor & Francis, London. (''Banslochan'' pages 71-73)
*[[Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture]], by L. H. Bailey, MacMillan Co., 1963
<!--- xxxxx *Flora: The Gardener's Bible, by Sean Hogan. Global Book Publishing, 2003. ISBN 0881925381 -->
<!--- xxxxx *American Horticultural Society: A-Z Encyclopedia of Garden Plants, by Christopher Brickell, Judith D. Zuk. 1996. ISBN 0789419432 -->
<!--- xxxxx *Sunset National Garden Book. Sunset Books, Inc., 1997. ISBN 0376038608 -->
==External links==
==External links==
*{{dmoz|http://Science/Agriculture/Forestry/Bamboo/}}
*{{wplink}}
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