Bamboo Is a Grass That Can Grow a Metre a Day
Bamboo is a tall woody grass. Some species are the fastest-growing plants ever recorded.
Bamboo is a giant woody grass, not a tree. Certain species are the fastest-growing plants on record, with measured growth approaching a metre in a single day. Bamboo achieves this because the stem's segments elongate simultaneously rather than growing from a single tip, and because the culm emerges at full diameter.
- A giant grass. *A bamboo grove.*
- The material. *A bamboo floor.*
- Bamboo as a modifier. *Bamboo scaffolding.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | bamboo | Cut bamboo. |
| Plural | bamboos | Tropical bamboos. |
| Adjective | bamboo | Bamboo shoots. |
| Part | culm | A thick culm. |
| Related | grass | A woody grass. |
How it is used in a sentence
- Bamboo scaffolding is standard in Hong Kong.Strong and quick to erect.
- Giant pandas eat little else.Bamboo is almost their entire diet.
- Bamboo shoots are eaten across Asia.They must be cooked first.
Bamboo facts
- Fastest growth — some species approach a metre a day
- Mass flowering — many species flower simultaneously, then die, on cycles of decades
- Strength — comparable to steel in tensile strength for its weight
- Uses — scaffolding, flooring, paper, textiles and food
- Not a tree — it is a member of the grass family
From Dutch *bamboe*, from Portuguese *mambu*, ultimately from Malay *bambu*. It entered European languages through the spice trade.
Is bamboo a tree?
No. It is a grass, though the woody stems make it look like a tree.
Why do bamboo plants all flower at once?
Many species flower on long synchronised cycles, sometimes decades apart, and then die. The strategy is thought to overwhelm seed-eating animals.