Bamboo Plants

Bamboo Plants, Flooring and Furniture

Bamboo is the fastest growing plant on earth being able to grow as much as two feet in one day. It is a woody evergreen in the true grass family and giant bamboo is the largest grass in the world. The bamboo plants quick growth in a wide range of environments makes it one of the best renewable building materials available. They are greatly used in Asia as building material, in gardens, and as a food source. It is so valuable that it is highly regarded culturally as well, being depicted in countless paintings and sculptures, and are sometimes used in flower arrangements.

Bamboo is truly an amazing plant, and not only for human uses. The giant panda lives solely off of bamboo while chimps and elephants eat the stalks. Mountain gorillas in Africa are even more ingenious however, they have figured out a way to brew bamboo sap into an alcoholic drink and are known to drink it regularly. Rodents love to eat the fruit and flowers but another amazing thing about bamboo is that it flowers unpredictably and seldom but simultaneously even in different regions. The length of time in between flowering can be over 100 years and is unique to each variety of bamboo tree of which there are over 1,000 different species.

The sudden flowering causes havoc to local peoples as the rodent population suddenly skyrockets and the bamboo dies leaving them with no building material. This can cause famines as well as incredibly sickness when it occurs. Botanists are still unsure why this happens at seemingly random times but always simultaneously even in different continents.

Bamboo shoots are a popular dish throughout Asia and the pacific islands although it may not be okay to simply eat bamboo shoots from any bamboo plant, the giant bamboo as well as a few others contains cyanide. It is commonly used as eating utensils as well, especially as chop sticks. Bamboo poles are one of the most versatile natural building materials. It can be used for scaffolding reaching to the top of skyscrapers in its natural form as well as for building huts, a bamboo fence or other simple creations. When it is stripped, pressed and laminated it can take the form of regular wood such as 2x4s and plywood. This makes excellent bamboo flooring and is also great for bamboo furniture.

Bamboo can be turned into fiber which is suitable for textiles such as bamboo clothing which is a fledgling industry which is expected to receive enormous growth. Other bamboo products include musical instruments, writing utensils and brushes which are used to create bamboo art, and bags. It is an easy to maintain plant making a bamboo garden a great idea for those with no green thumb.

There are many cultural myths about the bamboo plant as well which all point to its importance. In Philippine and Malaysian creation myths man and women sprang from split bamboo stems. Many Asian cultures have similar myths involving a moon goddess that emerged from a shining bamboo section. Whether they are true or not doesn’t matter, they still show the importance that bamboo has on their lives.

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Bamboo Plants, Flooring and Furniture

Bamboo is the fastest growing plant on earth being able to grow as much as two feet in one day. It is a woody evergreen in the true grass family and giant bamboo is the largest grass in the world. The bamboo plants quick growth in a wide range of environments makes it one of the best renewable building materials available. They are greatly used in Asia as building material, in gardens, and as a food source. It is so valuable that it is highly regarded culturally as well, being depicted in countless paintings and sculptures, and are sometimes used in flower arrangements.

Bamboo is truly an amazing plant, and not only for human uses. The giant panda lives solely off of bamboo while chimps and elephants eat the stalks. Mountain gorillas in Africa are even more ingenious however, they have figured out a way to brew bamboo sap into an alcoholic drink and are known to drink it regularly. Rodents love to eat the fruit and flowers but another amazing thing about bamboo is that it flowers unpredictably and seldom but simultaneously even in different regions. The length of time in between flowering can be over 100 years and is unique to each variety of bamboo tree of which there are over 1,000 different species.

The sudden flowering causes havoc to local peoples as the rodent population suddenly skyrockets and the bamboo dies leaving them with no building material. This can cause famines as well as incredibly sickness when it occurs. Botanists are still unsure why this happens at seemingly random times but always simultaneously even in different continents.

Bamboo shoots are a popular dish throughout Asia and the pacific islands although it may not be okay to simply eat bamboo shoots from any bamboo plant, the giant bamboo as well as a few others contains cyanide. It is commonly used as eating utensils as well, especially as chop sticks. Bamboo poles are one of the most versatile natural building materials. It can be used for scaffolding reaching to the top of skyscrapers in its natural form as well as for building huts, a bamboo fence or other simple creations. When it is stripped, pressed and laminated it can take the form of regular wood such as 2x4s and plywood. This makes excellent bamboo flooring and is also great for bamboo furniture.

Bamboo can be turned into fiber which is suitable for textiles such as bamboo clothing which is a fledgling industry which is expected to receive enormous growth. Other bamboo products include musical instruments, writing utensils and brushes which are used to create bamboo art, and bags. It is an easy to maintain plant making a bamboo garden a great idea for those with no green thumb.

There are many cultural myths about the bamboo plant as well which all point to its importance. In Philippine and Malaysian creation myths man and women sprang from split bamboo stems. Many Asian cultures have similar myths involving a moon goddess that emerged from a shining bamboo section. Whether they are true or not doesn’t matter, they still show the importance that bamboo has on their lives.