Bamboo is a term that refers to a wide range of evergreen perennial plants. All of these plants belong to the Bambusoideae subfamily group and have lived on Earth for millions of years. These plants feature straight stems with hollow centers that grow at an incredible rate. Some species of bamboo expand so rapidly that they can add an inch or more of growth in a single day.
That rapid growth rate, along with adaptability to many different growing conditions, allows bamboo plants to reach amazing sizes. For example, the largest of all bamboo species is called giant bamboo, or Dendrocalamus giganteus, which can grow to 80 to 100 feet in the right conditions. However, there are other species of bamboo that also go by the common name giant bamboo and can show heights that are nearly as impressive. Members of the Bambusa genus, including Bambusa balcooa and Bambusa oldhamii, can reach more than 60 feet tall.
Another interesting feature of bamboo is that it is a very useful resource. Although bamboo stems grow quite quickly, they are also incredibly strong. The strength of bamboo, in relation to its relatively low weight, makes it a fantastic building material. It also has other uses, such as in the creation of textiles, weapons, and more.
Since bamboo can essentially take the place of timber and because of its massive size of up to 100 feet tall, many people make the mistake of believing that bamboo is a tree or some form of shrub species. However, bamboo does not belong to either of those groups.
Technically, bamboo is a grass species. It belongs to the family Poaceae, which includes all grass varieties, and shares the same anatomy as other grasses despite having a larger size. As is the case with most other types of grass, the center of a bamboo stem is mainly hollow. Bamboo also does not produce the type of xylem that is present in other kinds of plants.
The growth habit of bamboo further contributes to its classification as a grass plant. These species typically display one of two growth patterns. One group of bamboo species spreads by clumping. These plants expand horizontally at a gradual rate by spreading rhizomes. Other bamboo species spread by running. These plants are far more aggressive as their rhizomes spread over much larger areas. In either case, bamboo plants prove not to be single-stem trees. Instead, they grow in spreading clusters of stems much like ornamental and other wild grasses.
Bamboo also flowers like other grasses. However, the flowering habits of these plants are quite unique. Many bamboo plants are unpredictable and will only flower after several decades. Other species tend to decline and die after they bloom. Bamboo also undergoes mass flowering, which is when the plants produce copious amounts of blooms during a single period to increase the odds of successful pollination.
There are other grasses that can reach amazing heights, but none can compare to bamboo. For instance, this is Napier grass, which belongs to the Pennisetum genus. This grass species sends out leaves that are several feet long. Those leaves can contribute to an overall height of about 15 feet or more. And while 15 feet is an impressive height for a grass, it is not close to the heights that bamboo can reach.
Other grasses can be tall as well but fall even shorter than Napier grass compared to bamboo. Panicum virgatum is a species that we call switchgrass and can reach 7 feet tall. Another tall grass species is Calamagrostis x acutiflora “Karl Foerster,” which reaches about 6 feet tall.
Still, bamboo stands above the rest of the members of its plant family as the only grass species in the world that can consistently reach 100 feet tall. Since bamboo is so tall and strong, it is no wonder why so many people are confused about its classification. However, if you study bamboo species, you’ll find that they all belong to the grass family and share the common traits that are present among grass plants. The major difference is size, as no other grass comes close to bamboo in height.