Bamboo and Mountain

Bamboo

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Bamboo is a group of perennial evergreens in the true grass family Poaceae, subfamily Bambusoideae, tribe Bambuseae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family. In bamboo, the internodal regions of the stem are hollow and the vascular bundles in the cross section are scattered throughout the stem instead of in a cylindrical arrangement. The dicotyledonous woody xylem is also absent. The absence of secondary growth wood causes the stems of monocots, even of palms and large bamboos, to be columnar rather than tapering.^[1]


Bamboos are some of the fastest growing plants in the world,^[2] due to a unique rhizome-dependent system. Bamboos are of notable economic and cultural significance in South Asia, South East Asia and East Asia, being used for building materials, as a food source, and as a versatile raw product.


Genus and geography

More than 70 genera are divided into about 1,450 species.^[3] Bamboo species 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.^[4] They also occur in sub-Saharan Africa, and in the Americas from the Mid-Atlantic United States^[5] 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.^[6]


There have recently been some attempts to grow bamboo on a commercial basis in the Great Lakes region of eastern-central Africa, especially in Rwanda.^[7][8] Companies in the United States are growing, harvesting and distributing species such as Henon and Moso.^[9]

 
Ecology
Bamboo is one of the fastest-growing plants on Earth with reported growth rates of 100 cm (39 in) in 24 hours.^[2] However, the growth rate is dependent on local soil and climatic conditions as well as species, and a more typical growth rate for many commonly cultivated bamboos in temperate climates is in the range of 3–10 cm (1–4 inches) per day during the growing period. Primarily growing in regions of warmer climates during the late Cretaceous period, vast fields existed in what is now Asia. Some of the largest timber bamboo can grow over 30 metres (98 ft) tall, and be as large as 15–20 cm (6–8 inches) in diameter. However, the size range for mature bamboo is species dependent, with the smallest bamboos reaching only several inches high at maturity. A typical height range that would cover many of the common bamboos grown in the United States is 15–40 feet, depending on species.


Unlike trees, individual bamboo culms emerge from the ground at their full diameter and grow to their full height in a single growing season of 3–4 months. During these several months, each new shoot grows vertically into a culm with no branching out until the majority of the mature height is reached. Then the branches extend from the nodes and leafing out occurs. In the next year, the pulpy wall of each culm or stem slowly hardens. During the third year, the culm hardens further. The shoot is now considered a fully mature culm. Over the next 2–5 years (depending on species), fungus and mold 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 about 3 – 7 years. Individual bamboo culms do not get any taller or larger in diameter in subsequent years than they do in their first year, and they do not replace any growth that is lost from pruning or natural breakage. Bamboos have a wide range of hardiness depending on species and locale. Small or young specimens of an individual species will produce small culms initially. As the clump and its rhizome system matures, taller and larger culms will be produced each year until the plant approaches its particular species limits of height and diameter.


Many tropical bamboo species will die at or near freezing temperatures, while some of the hardier or so-called temperate bamboos can survive temperatures as low as −29 °C (−20 °F). Some of the hardiest bamboo species can be grown in places as cold as USDA Plant Hardiness Zones 5–6, although they typically will defoliate and may even lose all above-ground growth; yet the rhizomes will survive and send up shoots again the next spring. In milder climates, such as USDA Zone 8 and above, some hardy bamboo may remain fully leafed out year around.

References

1. ^ Botany; Wilson,C.L. and Loomis,W.E. Third edition. Holt, Rinehart and Winston
2. ^ ^{a b} Farrelly, David (1984). The Book of Bamboo. Sierra Club Books. ISBN 0-87156-825-X.
3. ^ Gratani, Loretta; Maria Fiore Crescente, Laura Varone, Giuseppe Fabrini, and Eleonora Digiulio (2008). "Growth pattern and photosynthetic activity of different bamboo species growing in the Botanical Garden of Rome". Flora 203: 77–84..
4. ^ Bystriakova, N.; N. Bystriakova, V. Kapos, I. Lysenko and C.M.A. Stapleton (September 2003). "Distribution and conservation status of forest bamboo biodiversity in the Asia-Pacific Region". Biodiversity and Conservation 12 (9): 1833–1841. doi:10.1023/A:1024139813651. Retrieved 12 August 2009.
5. ^ "Arundinaria gigantea (Walt.) Muhl. giant cane". PLANTS Database. USDA.
6. ^ editor-in-chief, Anthony Huxley, editor, Mark Griffiths, managing editor, Margot Levy. (1992). Huxley, A.. ed. New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. Macmillan New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. ISBN 0-333-47494-5.
7. ^ "BAMBOO FARMING: AN OPPORTUNITY TO TRANSFORM LIVELIHOODS," The Sunday Times, 6 June 2010
8. ^ "Cash in on Bamboo farming, Bazivamo urges farmers," Stevenson Mugisha, The New Times, 7 June 2010
9. ^ McDill, Stephen. "MS Business Journal". MS Business Journal. Retrieved 7 July 2011.