:Bamboo

{{cladogram|align=left

|caption=Phylogeny of the bamboo within the BOP clade of grasses, as suggested by analyses of the whole of Poaceae{{cite journal |author=Grass Phylogeny Working Group II |title=New grass phylogeny resolves deep evolutionary relationships and discovers C₄ origins |journal=New Phytologist |volume=193 |issue=2 |year=2012 |pages=304–312 |issn=0028-646X |doi=10.1111/j.1469-8137.2011.03972.x |pmid=22115274 |bibcode=2012NewPh.193..304. |hdl=2262/73271|hdl-access=free }} and of the bamboos in particular.{{cite journal |author1=Kelchner S |author2=Bamboo Phylogeny Working Group |title=Higher level phylogenetic relationships within the bamboos (Poaceae: Bambusoideae) based on five plastid markers |journal=Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution |volume=67 |issue=2 |year=2013 |pages=404–413 |url=http://www.isu.edu/~kelchner/Kelchner_Lab/Publications_files/Kelchner%26BPG_MPE2013.pdf |issn=1055-7903 |doi=10.1016/j.ympev.2013.02.005 |pmid=23454093 |bibcode=2013MolPE..67..404K |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150605041641/http://www.isu.edu/~kelchner/Kelchner_Lab/Publications_files/Kelchner%26BPG_MPE2013.pdf |archive-date=5 June 2015}}

|cladogram={{clade|style=font-size:85%;line-height:75%;width:450px;

|label1=BOP clade

|1={{clade

|1={{clade

|label1=Bambusoideae

|1={{clade

|1={{clade

|1=Bambuseae (tropical woody bamboos)

|2=Olyreae (herbaceous bamboos)

}}

|2=Arundinarieae (temperate woody bamboos)

}}

|2=Pooideae

}}

|2=Oryzoideae

}}

}}

}}

Bamboos have long been considered the most basal grass genera, mostly because of the presence of bracteate, indeterminate inflorescences, "pseudospikelets", and flowers with three lodicules, six stamens, and three stigmata.{{cite journal |last1= Clark |first1= LG |last2= Zhang |first2= W |last3= Wendel |first3= JF |year= 1995 |title= A Phylogeny of the Grass Family (Poaceae) Based on ndhF Sequence Data |journal= Systematic Botany |volume= 20 |issue= 4 |pages= 436–460 |doi=10.2307/2419803 |jstor= 2419803|bibcode= 1995SysBo..20..436C }} Following more recent molecular phylogenetic research, many tribes and genera of grasses formerly included in the Bambusoideae are now classified in other subfamilies, e.g. the Anomochlooideae, the Puelioideae, and the Ehrhartoideae. The subfamily in its current sense belongs to the BOP clade of grasses, where it is sister to the Pooideae (bluegrasses and relatives).

The bamboos comprise three clades classified as tribes, and these strongly correspond with geographic divisions representing the New World herbaceous species (Olyreae), tropical woody bamboos (Bambuseae), and temperate woody bamboos (Arundinarieae).{{Citation |last1=Ahmad |first1=Zishan |title=Bamboo: Origin, Habitat, Distributions and Global Prospective |date=2021 |url=https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-1310-4_1 |work=Biotechnological Advances in Bamboo: The "Green Gold" on the Earth |pages=1–31 |editor-last=Ahmad |editor-first=Zishan |access-date=2023-08-29 |place=Singapore |publisher=Springer |language=en |doi=10.1007/978-981-16-1310-4_1 |isbn=978-981-16-1310-4 |last2=Upadhyay |first2=Anamica |last3=Ding |first3=Yulong |last4=Emamverdian |first4=Abolghassem |last5=Shahzad |first5=Anwar |s2cid=239748950 |editor2-last=Ding |editor2-first=Yulong |editor3-last=Shahzad |editor3-first=Anwar}} The woody bamboos do not form a monophyletic group; instead, the tropical woody and herbaceous bamboos are sister to the temperate woody bamboos. Altogether, more than 1,400 species are placed in 115 genera.

{{hidden begin |title=Tribe Olyreae (herbaceous bamboos)

|titlestyle=background:rgb(144,238,144);width:60%;}}

21 genera:

• Subtribe Buergersiochloinae
• : one genus: Buergersiochloa.
• Subtribe Olyrineae
• : 17 genera: Agnesia, Arberella, Cryptochloa, Diandrolyra, Ekmanochloa, Froesiochloa, Lithachne, Maclurolyra, Mniochloa, Olyra, Parodiolyra, Piresiella, Raddia, Raddiella, Rehia, Reitzia (syn. Piresia), Sucrea.
• Subtribe Parianinae
• : three genera: Eremitis, Pariana, Parianella.

{{hidden end}}{{hidden begin |title=Tribe Bambuseae (tropical woody bamboos)

|titlestyle=background:rgb(144,238,144);width:60%;}}

73 genera:

• Subtribe Arthrostylidiinae:
• : 15 genera: Actinocladum, Alvimia, Arthrostylidium, Athroostachys, Atractantha, Aulonemia, Cambajuva, Colanthelia, Didymogonyx, Elytrostachys, Filgueirasia, Glaziophyton, Merostachys, Myriocladus, Rhipidocladum.
• Subtribe Bambusinae:
• : 17 genera: Bambusa, Bonia, Cochinchinochloa, Dendrocalamus, Fimbribambusa, Gigantochloa, Maclurochloa, Melocalamus, Neomicrocalamus, Oreobambos, Oxytenanthera, Phuphanochloa, Pseudoxytenanthera, Soejatmia, Thyrsostachys, Vietnamosasa, Yersinochloa.
• Subtribe Chusqueinae:
• : one genus: Chusquea.
• Subtribe Dinochloinae:
• : 7 genera: Cyrtochloa, Dinochloa, Mullerochloa, Neololeba, Pinga, Parabambusa, Sphaerobambos.
• Subtribe Greslaniinae:
• : one genus: Greslania.
• Subtribe Guaduinae:
• : 5 genera: Apoclada, Eremocaulon, Guadua, Olmeca, Otatea.
• Subtribe Hickeliinae:
• : 9 genera: Cathariostachys, Decaryochloa, Hickelia, Hitchcockella, Nastus, Perrierbambus, Sirochloa, Sokinochloa, Valiha.
• Subtribe Holttumochloinae:
• : 3 genera: Holttumochloa, Kinabaluchloa, Nianhochloa.
• Subtribe Melocanninae:
• : 9 genera: Annamocalamus, Cephalostachyum, Davidsea, Melocanna, Neohouzeaua, Ochlandra, Pseudostachyum, Schizostachyum, Stapletonia.
• Subtribe Racemobambosinae:
• : 3 genera: Chloothamnus, Racemobambos, Widjajachloa.
• Subtribe Temburongiinae:
• : one genus: Temburongia.
• incertae sedis
• : 2 genera: Ruhooglandia, Temochloa.

{{hidden end}}

{{hidden begin |title=Tribe Arundinarieae (temperate woody bamboos)

|titlestyle=background:rgb(144,238,144);width:60%;}}

31 genera: Acidosasa, Ampelocalamus, Arundinaria, Bashania, Bergbambos, Chimonobambusa, Chimonocalamus, Drepanostachyum, Fargesia, Ferrocalamus, Gaoligongshania, Gelidocalamus, Himalayacalamus, Indocalamus, Indosasa, Kuruna, Oldeania, Oligostachyum, Phyllostachys, Pleioblastus, Pseudosasa, Sarocalamus, Sasa, Sasaella, Sasamorpha, Semiarundinaria, Shibataea, Sinobambusa, Thamnocalamus, Vietnamocalamus, Yushania.

{{hidden end}}

File:Bambusoideae World map.png

Most bamboo species are native to warm and moist tropical and to warm temperate climates.{{cite web |url=http://tcpermaculture.com/site/2014/01/13/permaculture-plants-bamboo/ |title=Permaculture Plants: Bamboo |first=John |last=Kitsteiner |date=13 January 2014 |access-date=28 July 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170731051114/http://tcpermaculture.com/site/2014/01/13/permaculture-plants-bamboo/ |archive-date=31 July 2017|website=tcpermaculture.com}} Their range also extends to cool mountainous regions and highland cloud forests.{{citation needed|date=June 2024}}

In the Asia-Pacific region, they occur across East Asia, from north to 50 °N latitude in Sakhalin,{{cite book|last1=Newell|first1=J|title=The Russian Far East: A Reference Guide for Conservation and Development|date=2004|publisher=Daniel & Daniel|location=McKinleyville, California|pages=376, 384–386, 392, 404|chapter-url=http://urbansustainability.snre.umich.edu/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/RFE.11.pdf|access-date=18 June 2014|chapter=Chapter 11: Sakhalin Oblast|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140703070054/http://urbansustainability.snre.umich.edu/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/RFE.11.pdf|archive-date=3 July 2014}} to south to northern Australia, and west to India and the Himalayas. China, Japan, Korea, India and Australia, all have several endemic populations.{{cite journal |last1=Bystriakova |first1=N. |last2=Kapos |first2=V. |last3=Lysenko |first3=I. |last4=Stapleton |first4=C. M. A. |date=September 2003 |title=Distribution and conservation status of forest bamboo biodiversity in the Asia-Pacific Region |journal=Biodiversity and Conservation |volume=12 |issue=9 |pages=1833–1841 |doi=10.1023/A:1024139813651|bibcode=2003BiCon..12.1833B |s2cid=35784749 }} They also occur in small numbers in sub-Saharan Africa, confined to tropical areas, from southern Senegal in the north to southern Mozambique and Madagascar in the south. In the Americas, bamboo has a native range from 47 °S in southern Argentina and the beech forests of central Chile, through the South American tropical rainforests, to the Andes in Ecuador near {{convert|14000|ft|m|abbr=on|order=flip}}, with a noticeable gap through the Atacama Desert.{{citation needed|date=June 2024}}

Three species of bamboo, all in the genus Arundinaria, are native to the Southeastern United States.{{PLANTS|taxon=Arundinaria gigantea (Walt.) Muhl. giant cane |symbol=ARGI}} Bamboo thickets called canebrakes once formed a dominant ecosystem in some parts of the Southeastern United States, but they are now considered critically endangered ecosystems.{{cite web |title=Canebrake Restoration |url=https://friendsofthecache.org/canebrake-restoration |website=friendsofthecache.org |access-date=27 November 2022}}{{cite journal |last1=Shoemaker |first1=Cory M. |title=Environmental and landscape factors affecting the continued suppression of canebrakes (Arundinaria gigantea, Poaceae) within restorations of bottomland hardwood forests |journal=The Journal of the Torrey Botanical Society |date=2018 |volume=145 |issue=2 |pages=156–152|doi=10.3159/TORREY-D-17-00011.1 |s2cid=90442090 }}{{cite web |last1=Barret |first1=Richard |last2=Grabowski |first2=Janet |last3=Williams |first3=M.J. |title=Giant Cane and Other Native Bamboos: Establishment and Use for Conservation of Natural Resources in the Southeast |url=https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/plantmaterials/flpmctn13727.pdf |website=ncrs.usda.gov}} Canada and continental Europe are not known to have any native species of bamboo.{{cite book |title=New RHS Dictionary of Gardening |editor1-last=Huxley |editor1-first=Anthony |editor-link= Anthony Huxley |year=1992 |publisher=Macmillan |isbn=978-0-333-47494-5 |editor2-first=Mark |editor2-last=Griffiths |editor3-first=Margot |editor3-last=Levy}} Many species are also cultivated as garden plants outside of this range, including in Europe and areas of North America where no native wild bamboo exists.{{citation needed|date=June 2024}}

Recently, some attempts have been made to grow bamboo on a commercial basis in the Great Lakes region of east-central Africa, especially in Rwanda.{{cite web |url=http://www.newtimes.co.rw/section/article/2010-06-06/81841/|title=Bamboo Farming: An Opportunity To Transform Livelihoods|date=6 June 2010|website=The New Times|access-date=2 August 2016|url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160911011240/http://www.newtimes.co.rw/section/article/2010-06-06/81841/|archive-date=11 September 2016}} In the United States, several companies are growing, harvesting, and distributing species such as Phyllostachys nigra (Henon) and Phyllostachys edulis (Moso).{{cite news|last=McDill|first=Stephen|title=MS Business Journal |url=http://msbusiness.com/businessblog/2011/07/07/mississippi-cashes-in-on-bamboo/|access-date=7 July 2011|newspaper=MS Business Journal|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110711132830/http://msbusiness.com/businessblog/2011/07/07/mississippi-cashes-in-on-bamboo/|archive-date=11 July 2011}}

2021 Sagano Bamboo forest in Arashiyama, Kyoto, Japan.jpg|Bamboo forest in Arashiyama, Kyoto, Japan

Trilha do Parque Nacional da Serra dos Órgãos Sede Petrópolis.jpg|Serra dos Órgãos National Park, Brazil

Bamboo forest in Guangde.jpg|Bamboo forest in Guangde, China

Bamboo Forest, Gochangupseong Fortress, South Korea (2).jpg|Bamboo forest, Gochangupseong Fortress, South Korea

Canebrake in Kentucky.jpg|Arundinaria gigantea, a North American bamboo, in Kentucky

Bamboo forest along Pipiwai Trail @ Kapahulu, Hana, Maui - panoramio.jpg|Panoramic view of bamboo forest in Hawaii

{{More citations needed|date=June 2024|area=section}}

File:Bamboo Canopy.jpg

The two general patterns for the growth of bamboo are "clumping", and "running", with short and long underground rhizomes, respectively. 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 need to be controlled during cultivation because of their potential for aggressive behavior. They spread mainly through their 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 the species, soil and climate conditions. Some send out runners of several meters a year, while others stay in the same general area for long periods. If neglected, over time, they can cause problems by moving into adjacent areas.

Bamboos include some of the fastest-growing plants on Earth, with reported growth rates up to {{convert|910|mm|in|abbr=on}} in 24 hours. These depend 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 {{convert|30|–|100|mm|in|frac=2|abbr=on}} 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.{{citation needed|date=January 2025}} Some of the largest timber bamboo grow over {{convert|30|m|ft|sigfig=1|abbr=on}} tall, and be as large as {{convert|250|–|300|mm|in|0|abbr=on}} in diameter. The size range for mature bamboo is species-dependent, with the smallest bamboos reaching only several inches high at maturity. A typical height range covering many of the common bamboos grown in the United States is {{convert|4.5|-|12|m|ft|0|abbr=on}}, depending on species. Anji County of China, known as the "Town of Bamboo", provides the optimal climate and soil conditions to grow, harvest, and process some of the most valued bamboo poles available worldwide.

Unlike all trees, individual bamboo culms emerge from the ground at their full diameter and grow to their full height in a single growing season of three to four months. During this time, 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 slowly hardens. During the third year, the culm hardens further. The shoot is now a fully mature culm. Over the next 2–5 years (depending on species), fungus begins to form on the outside of the culm, which eventually penetrates and overcomes the culm.{{citation needed|date=October 2016}} Around 5–8 years later (species- and climate-dependent), the fungal growths cause the culm to collapse and decay. This brief life means culms are ready for harvest and suitable for use in construction within about three to seven 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 lost from pruning or natural breakage. Bamboo has a wide range of hardiness depending on species and locale. Small or young specimens of an individual species produce small culms initially. As the clump and its rhizome system mature, taller and larger culms are produced each year until the plant approaches its particular species limits of height and diameter.

Many tropical bamboo species die at or near freezing temperatures, while some of the hardier temperate bamboos survive temperatures as low as {{convert|-29|°C|°F}}. Some of the hardiest bamboo species are grown in USDA plant hardiness zone 5,{{citation needed|date=December 2021}} although they typically defoliate and may even lose all above-ground growth, yet the rhizomes survive and send up shoots again the next spring. In milder climates, such as USDA zone 7 and above, most bamboo remain fully leafed out and green year-round.

{{Further|Bamboo blossom}}

File:PICT0079 bambus-i-blomst 13apr2007 1200-81.jpg

{{multiple image |align=right |total_width=350

|image1=Phyllostachys Glauca 'Yunzhu' in flower.jpg |caption1=Phyllostachys glauca 'Yunzhu' in flower

|image2=Bamboo seeds bunch 03.jpg |caption2=Bunches of bamboo seeds

}}

Bamboos seldom and unpredictably flower and the frequency of flowering varies greatly from species to species. Once flowering takes place, a plant declines and often dies entirely. In fact, many species only flower at intervals as long as 65 or 120 years. These taxa exhibit mass flowering (or gregarious flowering), with all plants in a particular 'cohort' flowering over a several-year period. Any plant derived through clonal propagation from this cohort will also flower regardless of whether it has been planted in a different location. The longest mass flowering interval known is 120 years, and it is for the species Phyllostachys bambusoides (Sieb. & Zucc.).{{cite journal |first1=Carl |last1=Veller |first2=Martin A. |last2=Nowak |author-link2=Martin Nowak |first3=Charles C. |last3=Davis |date=July 2015 |title=Extended flowering intervals of bamboos evolved by discrete multiplication |url=http://www.people.fas.harvard.edu/~ccdavis/pdfs/Veller_et_al_Ecology_Letters_2015.pdf |journal=Ecology Letters |volume=18 |issue=7 |pages=653–659 |pmid=25963600 |issn=1461-023X |url-status=dead |doi=10.1111/ele.12442 |bibcode=2015EcolL..18..653V |archive-date=2015-09-11 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150911202926/http://www.people.fas.harvard.edu/~ccdavis/pdfs/Veller_et_al_Ecology_Letters_2015.pdf}} In this species, all plants of the same stock flower at the same time, regardless of differences in geographic locations or climatic conditions, and then the bamboo dies.{{cite book |last=McClure |first=Floyd A. |date=1966 |title=The Bamboos - A Fresh Perspective |isbn=9780674061507 |location=Cambridge, MA |publisher=Harvard University Press |page=274 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FlKneBvfDyEC}} The commercially important bamboo Guadua, or Cana brava (Guadua angustifolia) bloomed for the first time in recorded history in 1971, suggesting a blooming interval well in excess of 130 years.{{citation needed|date=January 2023 |reason=Previous source was published in 1966 and could not have reported a 1971 event.}} The lack of environmental impact on the time of flowering indicates the presence of some sort of "alarm clock" in each cell of the plant which signals the diversion of all energy to flower production and the cessation of vegetative growth.{{cite journal |last1=Soderstrom |first1=Thomas R. |last2=Calderon |first2=Cleofe E. |title=A Commentary on the Bamboos (Poaceae: Bambusoideae) |journal=Biotropica |volume=11 |issue=3 |pages=161–172 |year=1979 |doi=10.2307/2388036 |jstor=2388036|bibcode=1979Biotr..11..161S }} This mechanism, as well as the evolutionary cause behind it, is still largely a mystery.

Some bamboo species are acknowledged as having high potential for becoming invasive species. A study commissioned by International Bamboo and Rattan Organisation, found that invasive species typically are varieties that spread via rhizomes rather than by clumping, as most commercially viable woody bamboos do.{{Cite web|date=2018-05-25|title=Bamboos and invasiveness|url=https://www.inbar.int/bamboos-and-invasiveness/|access-date=2020-07-31|website=INBAR|language=en-US}} In the United States, the National Invasive Species Information Center agency of the Department of Agriculture has Golden Bamboo (Phyllostachys aurea) listed as an invasive species.{{cite web |title=Terrestrial Invasives: Golden Bamboo |url=https://www.invasivespeciesinfo.gov/terrestrial/plants/golden-bamboo |website=InvasiveSpeciesInfo.gov |publisher=U.S. Department of Agriculture}}

File:Giant panda eating bamboo.jpg, making up about 99% of its diet.{{cite journal |last1=Sponheimer |first1=Matt |last2=Clauss |first2=Marcus |last3=Codron |first3=Daryl |title=Dietary Evolution: The Panda Paradox |journal=Current Biology |date=3 June 2019 |volume=29 |issue=11 |pages=R417–R419 |doi=10.1016/j.cub.2019.04.045|pmid=31163146 |s2cid=173992065 |doi-access=free |bibcode=2019CBio...29.R417S }}]]

Bamboo contains large amounts of protein and very low amounts of carbohydrates allowing this plant to be the source of food for many animals.{{cite news |last1=Daley |first1=Jason |title=Bamboo Is Basically 'Fake Meat' for Giant Pandas |url=https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/bamboo-fake-meat-giant-pandas-180972101/ |publisher=Smithsonian Magazine}} Soft bamboo shoots, stems and leaves are the major food source of the giant panda{{Cite web |title=What do pandas eat? And other giant panda facts |url=https://www.worldwildlife.org/stories/what-do-pandas-eat-and-other-giant-panda-facts |access-date=27 March 2023 |website=WWF}} of China, the red panda{{Cite web |title=Where do red pandas live? And other red panda facts |url=https://www.worldwildlife.org/stories/where-do-red-pandas-live-and-other-red-panda-facts |access-date=27 March 2023 |website=WWF}} of Nepal, and the bamboo lemurs of Madagascar.{{Cite web |last=Suresh |first=Rahul |title=What Animals Eat Bamboo? |date=28 March 2023 |url=https://animalsresearch.com/what-animals-eat-bamboo/}} The red panda can eat up to {{convert|9|lb|kg}} a day which is also about the full body weight of the animal. With raw bamboo containing trace amounts of harmful cyanide with higher concentrations in bamboo shoots, the golden bamboo lemur ingests many times the quantity of the taxiphyllin-containing bamboo that would be lethal to a human.

Mountain gorillas of Central Africa also feed on bamboo, and have been documented consuming bamboo sap which was fermented and alcoholic;{{cite web |title=Gorillas get drunk on bamboo sap |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/earthpicturegalleries/5037343/Gorillas-get-drunk-on-bamboo-sap.html |date=23 March 2009 |work=The Daily Telegraph |access-date=12 August 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090326083159/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/earthpicturegalleries/5037343/Gorillas-get-drunk-on-bamboo-sap.html |archive-date=26 March 2009}} chimpanzees and elephants of the region also eat the stalks. The larvae of the bamboo borer (the moth Omphisa fuscidentalis) of Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Yunnan, China feed off the pulp of live bamboo. In turn, these caterpillars are considered a local delicacy. Bamboo is also used for livestock feed with research showing some bamboo varieties have higher protein content over other varieties of bamboo.{{cite journal |last1=Andriarimalala |first1=José Herilalao |last2=Kpomasse |first2=Claude Cocou |last3=Salgado |first3=Paulo |last4=Ralisoa |first4=Noroseheno |last5=Durai |first5=Jayraman |title=Nutritional potential of bamboo leaves for feeding dairy cattle |journal=Pesquisa Agropecuária Tropical |date=2019 |volume=Special Supplement: Bamboo |doi=10.1590/1983-40632019v4954370|s2cid=91400323 |doi-access=free }}

{{multiple image

| align = center

| total_width = 700

| image1 = Bamboo-yellow.jpg

| caption1 = Bamboo foliage with yellow stems (probably Phyllostachys aurea)

| image2 = Phyllostachys nigra folium.jpg

| caption2 = Bamboo foliage with black stems (probably Phyllostachys nigra)

| image3 = Bamboo shoot-phyllostachys parvifolia-jx1241c.jpg

| caption3 = A young bamboo shoot (Phyllostachys parvifolia)

| image4 = 20200704 Bamboo barrier.jpg

| caption4 = A bamboo hedge contained by an in-ground barrier, shown during and after construction

}}

{{Excerpt|Bamboo cultivation}}

In Brazil, the [http://www.cebis.org.br Brazilian Center for Innovation and Sustainability - CEBIS], a non-profit organization, promotes the development of Brazil's bamboo production chain. Last year{{When|date=December 2023}}, it helped with the approval of law n~21,162 in the state of Paraná, which encourages Bamboo Culture aiming at the dissemination of its agricultural cultivation and the valorization of bamboo as an instrument for promoting the sustainable socioeconomic development of the State through its multiple functionalities. Bamboo cultivation neutralizes carbon emissions. Bamboo cultivation is cheap and in addition to adding value to its production chain, it is a sustainable crop that brings environmental, economic and social benefits. Its production can be used from construction to food. Recently, it was qualified and classified for the National Commission for Sustainable Development Objectives - CNDOS of the Presidency of the Republic of the federal government of Brazil.{{citation needed|date=June 2024}}

File:Bamboo Harvesting - Mahimapur - Murshidabad 2017-03-28 6129.JPG]]

File:Local farmer nearby the park.jpg]]

Bamboo used for construction purposes must be harvested when the culms reach their greatest strength and when sugar levels in the sap are at their lowest, as high sugar content increases the ease and rate of pest infestation. As compared to forest trees, bamboo species grow fast. Bamboo plantations can be readily harvested for a shorter period than tree plantations.{{cite book|title=Non-Wood Forest Products of the Philippines|last1=Razal|first1=Ramon|last2=Palijon|first2=Armando|publisher=El Guapo Printing Press, Calamba Printing Press|year=2009|isbn=978-971-579-058-1|location=Calamba City, Laguna|pages=145}}

Harvesting of bamboo is typically undertaken according to these cycles:

• Lifecycle of the culm: As each individual culm goes through a five to seven-year lifecycle, they are ideally allowed to reach this level of maturity prior to full capacity harvesting. The clearing out or thinning of culms, particularly older decaying culms, helps to ensure adequate light and resources for new growth. Well-maintained clumps may have a productivity three to four times that of an unharvested wild clump. Consistent with the lifecycle described above, bamboo is harvested from two to three years through to five to seven years, depending on the species.{{cite book |last1=Panda |first1=H. |title=Bamboo Plantation and Utilization Handbook |date=Oct 6, 2011 |publisher=Asia Pacific Business Press, Inc. |page=168}}{{cite news |last1=Marie |first1=Joanne |title=Bamboo Harvesting and Growing |url=https://www.weekand.com/home-garden/article/bamboo-harvesting-growing-18033612.php |agency=Week& |publisher=Hearst Newspapers |access-date=17 June 2023 |archive-date=17 June 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230617181605/https://www.weekand.com/home-garden/article/bamboo-harvesting-growing-18033612.php |url-status=dead }}
• Annual cycle: Most all growth of new bamboo occurs during the wet season and disturbing the clump during this phase will potentially damage the upcoming crop, while harvesting immediately prior to the wet/growth season may also damage new shoots, therefore harvesting is best a few months prior to the start of the wet season.{{cite web |last1=Hornaday |first1=Fred |title=Harvesting Bamboo: When, why and how |url=https://bambubatu.com/harvesting-bamboo-when-why-and-how/ |website=Bambu Batu|date=22 August 2022 }} Also during this high-rainfall period, sap levels are at their highest, and then diminish towards the dry season.{{cite journal |last1=Hasan |first1=S.M. |title=STUDIES ON GROWTH AND MATURITY OF BAMBOO CULMS |journal=The Commonwealth Forestry Review |date=June 1975 |volume=54 |issue=2 |pages=147–153}}
• Daily cycle: During the height of the day, photosynthesis is at its peak, producing the highest levels of sugar in sap, making this the least ideal time of day to harvest and many traditional practitioners believe the best time to harvest is at dawn or dusk on a waning moon.{{cite web |last1=Schröder |first1=Stéphane |title=When and How to Harvest Bamboo |url=https://www.guaduabamboo.com/blog/when-and-how-to-harvest-bamboo |publisher=Guadua Bamboo}}

Leaching is the removal of sap after harvest. In many areas of the world, the sap levels in harvested bamboo are reduced either through leaching or post-harvest photosynthesis.

For example:{{citation needed|date=June 2024}}

• Cut bamboo is raised clear of the ground and leaned against the rest of the clump for one to two weeks until leaves turn yellow to allow full consumption of sugars by the plant.
• A similar method is undertaken, but with the base of the culm standing in fresh water, either in a large drum or stream to leach out sap.
• Cut culms are immersed in a running stream and weighted down for three to four weeks.
• Water is pumped through the freshly cut culms, forcing out the sap (this method is often used in conjunction with the injection of some form of treatment).

In the process of water leaching, the bamboo is dried slowly and evenly in the shade to avoid cracking in the outer skin of the bamboo, thereby reducing opportunities for pest infestation.{{citation needed|date=June 2024}}

Durability of bamboo in construction is directly related to how well it is handled from the moment of planting through harvesting, transportation, storage, design, construction, and maintenance. Bamboo harvested at the correct time of year and then exposed to ground contact or rain will break down just as quickly as incorrectly harvested material.{{cite web |last1=Myers|first1=Evan T.|title=Structural Bamboo Design in East Africa|url=https://www.academia.edu/5108420|publisher=Kansas State University|access-date=18 June 2014|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161216111453/http://www.academia.edu/5108420/Structural_Design_of_Bamboo_in_East_Africa|archive-date=16 December 2016}}

Gardeners working with bamboo plants have occasionally reported allergic reactions varying from no effects during previous exposures, to immediate itchiness and rash developing into red welts after several hours where the skin had been in contact with the plant (contact allergy), and in some cases into swollen eyelids and breathing difficulties (dyspnea). A skin prick test using bamboo extract was positive for the immunoglobulin E (IgE) in an available case study.{{cite journal |last1=Kitajima |first1=T. |year=1986 |title=Contact allergy caused by bamboo shoots |journal=Contact Dermatitis |volume=15 |issue=2 |pages=100–102 |doi=10.1111/j.1600-0536.1986.tb01293.x |pmid=3780197 |s2cid=36280844}}{{cite journal |author=Hipler U.-C. |display-authors=et al |year=1986 |title=Typ IV-Allergie gegen Bambusblätter - ein Fallbereicht |trans-title=Type IV allergy against bamboo leaves – a case study |journal=Allergo J |volume=14 |pages=45}}{{cite web |date=4 September 2012 |title=Thinning bamboos, with itchy consequences |url=https://www.succulentsandmore.com/2012/09/thinning-bamboos-with-itchy-consequences.html |access-date=3 June 2018 |website=Succulents And More}} The shoots (newly emerged culms) of bamboo contain the toxin taxiphyllin (a cyanogenic glycoside), which produces cyanide in the gut.{{Cite journal |last1=Ding |first1=Ming |last2=Wang |first2=Kailiang |date=2018-04-18 |title=Determination of cyanide in bamboo shoots by microdiffusion combined with ion chromatography–pulsed amperometric detection |journal=Royal Society Open Science |volume=5 |issue=4 |pages=172128 |bibcode=2018RSOS....572128D |doi=10.1098/rsos.172128 |issn=2054-5703 |pmc=5936929 |pmid=29765664}}

File:TakenokoBambooSprouts.jpg

File:Bamboo tea.jpg

The shoots of most species are edible either raw or cooked, with the tough sheath removed. Cooking removes the slight bitterness.{{Cite book |title=The Complete Guide to Edible Wild Plants / Department of the Army |publisher=Skyhorse Publishing |year=2009 |isbn=978-1-60239-692-0 |location=New York |pages=24 |oclc=277203364}} The shoots are used in numerous Asian dishes and broths, and are available in supermarkets in various sliced forms, in both fresh and canned versions.{{citation needed|date=June 2024}}

The bamboo shoot in its fermented state forms an important ingredient in cuisines across the Himalayas. In Assam, India, for example, it is called khorisa.{{Cite web|date=2020-07-18|title=Bamboo Shoots – Khorisa|website=FarmToRasoi|url=https://www.farmtorasoi.com/bamboo-shoots/|access-date=2021-12-17|archive-date=17 December 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211217143632/https://www.farmtorasoi.com/bamboo-shoots/|url-status=dead}} In Nepal, a delicacy popular across ethnic boundaries consists of bamboo shoots fermented with turmeric and oil, and cooked with potatoes into a dish that usually accompanies rice ({{transliteration|ne|alu tama}}{{Cite web|title=Alu tama {{!}} Traditional Soup From Nepal |website=TasteAtlas |url=https://www.tasteatlas.com/alu-tama |access-date=2021-12-17}} ({{lang|ne|आलु तामा}}) in Nepali).

In Indonesia, they are sliced thin and then boiled with santan (thick coconut milk) and spices to make a dish called gulai rebung. Other recipes using bamboo shoots are sayur lodeh (mixed vegetables in coconut milk) and lun pia (sometimes written lumpia: fried wrapped bamboo shoots with vegetables). The shoots of some species contain toxins that need to be leached or boiled out before they can be eaten safely.{{cite web |title=Bamboo related questions Are all bamboo shoots edible? |url=https://www.bambooland.com.au/faqs/are-all-bamboo-shoots-edible/ |website=Bamboo Land |access-date=16 April 2025 |language=en}}

Pickled bamboo, used as a condiment, may also be made from the pith of the young shoots.{{cite journal |last1=Nongdam |first1=P. |last2=Tikendra |first2=Leimapokpam |title=The Nutritional Facts of Bamboo Shoots and Their Usage as Important Traditional Foods of Northeast India |journal=International Scholarly Research Notices |pages=679073 |doi=10.1155/2014/679073 |date=2014|doi-access=free |pmid=27433496 |pmc=4897250 }}

The sap of young stalks tapped during the rainy season may be fermented to make ulanzi (a sweet wine){{Cite web |title=Ulanzi (Bamboo Wine)|website=elkinvanaeon.net |url=http://elkinvanaeon.net/Alchemy/Brewed_Beverages/ulanzi_bamboo-wine.htm |access-date=2021-12-17}} or made into a soft drink.{{Cite web |last=Hallgren |first=Steve |date=2018-07-22 |title=Ulanzi: The Miracle Drink of Tanzania |website=Teaching High School Biology in Tanzania: A Peace Corps Volunteer Experience |url=https://hellofrompeacecorpstanzania.wordpress.com/category/mufindi-highlands-in-iringa-region/ulanzi-the-miracle-drink-of-tanzania/ |access-date=2021-12-17}} Bamboo leaves are also used as wrappers for steamed dumplings which usually contains glutinous rice and other ingredients, such as the zongzi from China.{{citation needed|date=June 2024}}

File:Khao lam87.jpg with sugar and coconut cream cooked in specially prepared bamboo sections of different diameters and lengths]]

Pickled bamboo shoots ({{langx|ne|तामा|link=no}} {{transliteration|ne|tama}}) are cooked with black-eyed beans as a delicacy in Nepal. Many Nepalese restaurants around the world serve this dish as aloo bodi tama. Fresh bamboo shoots are sliced and pickled with mustard seeds and turmeric and kept in glass jar in direct sunlight for the best taste. It is used alongside many dried beans in cooking during winters. Baby shoots (Nepali: tusa) of a very different variety of bamboo ({{langx|ne|निगालो|link=no}} {{transliteration|ne|Nigalo}}) native to Nepal is cooked as a curry in hilly regions.{{citation needed|date=June 2024}}

In Sambalpur, India, the tender shoots are grated into juliennes and fermented to prepare kardi. The name is derived from the Sanskrit word for bamboo shoot, karira. This fermented bamboo shoot is used in various culinary preparations, notably amil, a sour vegetable soup. It is also made into pancakes using rice flour as a binding agent.{{Cite web |title=Kardi bhaja / Bamboo shoot cutlets Recipe by Sona Senapati|url=https://cookpad.com/uk/recipes/15265917-kardi-bhaja-bamboo-shoot-cutlets|access-date=2021-12-17|website=Cookpad|date=14 July 2021 |language=en}} The shoots that have turned a little fibrous are fermented, dried, and ground to sand-sized particles to prepare a garnish known as hendua. It is also cooked with tender pumpkin leaves to make sag green leaves.

In Konkani cuisine, the tender shoots (kirlu) are grated and cooked with crushed jackfruit seeds to prepare kirla sukke.

File:Tukir (a way of cooking using bamboo as recipient to cook in the fire).jpg, cooking food in bamboo is called tukir.]]

In southern India and some regions of southwest China, the seeds of the dying bamboo plant are consumed as a grain known as "bamboo rice". The taste of cooked bamboo seeds is reported to be similar to wheat and the appearance similar to rice, but bamboo seeds have been found to have lower nutrient levels than both.{{Cite journal|last=Yang|first=Wang Ting|date=September 2021|title=Qualitative and quantitative characterization of nutrient content and morphology in seeds of bamboo, rice, and wheat|url=https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcs.2021.103273|journal=Journal of Cereal Science|volume=101|page=103273|doi=10.1016/j.jcs.2021.103273|via=Elsevier Science Direct}} The seeds can be pulverized into a flour with which to make cakes.

The Indian state of Sikkim has promoted bamboo water bottles to keep the state free from plastic bottles{{Cite web|url=https://www.indiatimes.com/news/india/in-fight-againt-plastic-pollution-sikkim-introduces-bamboo-water-bottles-for-tourists-507454.html|title=In Fight Against Plastic Pollution, Sikkim Introduces Bamboo Water Bottles For Tourists|date=2020-03-01|website=indiatimes.com|language=en|access-date=2020-03-04}}

The empty hollow in the stalks of larger bamboo is often used to cook food in many Asian cultures. Soups are boiled and rice is cooked in the hollows of fresh stalks of bamboo directly over a flame. Similarly, steamed tea is sometimes rammed into bamboo hollows to produce compressed forms of pu'er tea. Cooking food in bamboo is said to give the food a subtle but distinctive taste.{{citation needed|date=June 2024}}

{{excerpt|Bamboo charcoal}}

{{Excerpt|bambooworking}}

{{Further|Bamboo and wooden slips}}

Bamboo was in widespread use in early China as a medium for written documents. The earliest surviving examples of such documents, written in ink on string-bound bundles of bamboo strips (or "slips"), date from the fifth century BC during the Warring States period. References in earlier texts surviving on other media indicate some precursor of these Warring States period bamboo slips was used as early as the late Shang period (from about 1250 BC).{{citation needed|date=June 2024}}

Bamboo or wooden strips were used as the standard writing material during the early Han dynasty, and excavated examples have been found in abundance.{{cite book |last=Loewe |first=Michael |title=New Sources of Early Chinese History |publisher=Society for the Study of Early China |year=1997 |isbn=978-1-55729-058-8 |editor=Edward L. Shaughnessy |pages=161–192 |chapter=Wood and bamboo administrative documents of the Han period}} Subsequently, paper began to displace bamboo and wooden strips from mainstream uses, and by the fourth century AD, bamboo slips had been largely abandoned as a medium for writing in China.

Bamboo fiber has been used to make paper in China since early times. A high-quality, handmade bamboo paper is still produced in small quantities. Coarse bamboo paper is still used to make spirit money in many Chinese communities.{{cite journal |last1=Perdue |first1=Robert E. |last2=Kraebel |first2=Charles J. |author3=Tao Kiang |date=April 1961 |title=Bamboo Mechanical Pulp for Manufacture of Chinese Ceremonial Paper |journal=Economic Botany |volume=15 |issue=2 |pages=161–164 |doi=10.1007/BF02904089 |bibcode=1961EcBot..15..161P |s2cid=9556185}}

Bamboo pulps are mainly produced in China, Myanmar, Thailand, and India, and are used in printing and writing papers.{{cite book |last=Nanko |first=Hirko |title=The World of Market Pulp |author2=Button, Allan |author3=Hillman, Dave |publisher=WOMP, LLC |year=2005 |isbn=978-0-615-13013-2 |location=Appleton, WI, US |page=256}} Several paper industries are surviving on bamboo forests. Ballarpur (Chandrapur, Maharstra) paper mills use bamboo for paper production. The most common bamboo species used for paper are Dendrocalamus asper and Bambusa blumeana. It is also possible to make dissolving pulp from bamboo. The average fiber length is similar to hardwoods, but the properties of bamboo pulp are closer to softwood pulps due to it having a very broad fiber length distribution. With the help of molecular tools, it is now possible to distinguish the superior fiber-yielding species/varieties even at juvenile stages of their growth, which can help in unadulterated merchandise production.{{cite book |last=Bhattacharya |first=S. |title=Tropical Bamboo: Molecular profiling and genetic diversity study |publisher=Lambert Academic Publishing |year=2010 |isbn=978-3-8383-7422-2}}

In Central India, there are regular bamboo working circles in forest areas of Maharashtra, Madhyapradesh, Odisha and Chhattisgarh. Most of the bamboo is harvested for papermaking. Bamboo is cut after three years of its germination. No cutting is done during the rainy season (July–September); broken and malformed culms are harvested first.{{cite book |last1=Shrivastav |first1=S.S. |url=https://mahaforest.gov.in/managementpdf/1440739682Chandrapur%20Vol-I.pdf.pdf |title=Working Plan for Chandrapur Forest Division |date=3 December 2002 |publisher=Govt. of Maharashtra |location=Nagpur |access-date=23 December 2020}}

{{Main|Reed pen}}

In olden times, people in India used hand-made pens (known as Kalam or boru (बोरू)) made from thin bamboo sticks (with diameters of 5–10 mm and lengths of 100–150 mm) by simply peeling them on one side and making a nib-like pattern at the end. The pen would then be dipped in ink for writing.{{Cite journal|last=Sengupta|first=Rajarshi|date=2019-01-02|title=An Artisanal History of Kalam?|url=https://doi.org/10.1080/20511787.2019.1580437|journal=Journal of Textile Design Research and Practice|volume=7|issue=1|pages=25–37|doi=10.1080/20511787.2019.1580437|s2cid=190517335|issn=2051-1787}}

Since the fibers of bamboo are very short (less than {{convert|3|mm|in|frac=32|abbr=on|disp=or}}), they are not usually transformed into yarn by a natural process. The usual process by which textiles labeled as being made of bamboo are produced uses only rayon made from the fibers with heavy employment of chemicals. To accomplish this, the fibers are broken down with chemicals and extruded through mechanical spinnerets; the chemicals include lye, carbon disulfide, and strong acids.{{cite journal |author=Michelle Nijhuis |date=June 2009 |title=Bamboo Boom: Is This Material for You? |journal=Scientific American Earth 3.0 Special |volume=19 |issue=2 |pages=60–65 |doi=10.1038/scientificamericanearth0609-60|doi-broken-date=1 November 2024 |url=https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/bamboo-boom/ }} Retailers have sold both end products as "bamboo fabric" to cash in on bamboo's current ecofriendly cachet. The Canadian Competition Bureau{{cite news |date=27 January 2010 |title=\"Competition Bureau Takes Action to Ensure Accuracy for Textile Articles Labelled and Advertised as Bamboo\" |publisher=Competition Bureau Canada |url=http://www.competitionbureau.gc.ca/eic/site/cb-bc.nsf/eng/03193.html |access-date=1 July 2018}} and the US Federal Trade Commission,{{cite news |date=11 August 2009 |title=Four Companies Charged with Labeling Rayon Clothing As Bamboo |publisher=GreenBiz.com |url=http://www.greenbiz.com/news/2009/08/11/companies-label-rayon-clothing-bamboo |url-status=dead |access-date=12 August 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090813084741/http://www.greenbiz.com/news/2009/08/11/companies-label-rayon-clothing-bamboo |archive-date=13 August 2009}} as of mid-2009, are cracking down on the practice of labeling bamboo rayon as natural bamboo fabric. Under the guidelines of both agencies, these products must be labeled as rayon with the optional qualifier "from bamboo".

{{excerpt|Bamboo textile}}

{{further|Bamboo construction}}

Bamboo, like true wood, is a natural building material with a high strength-to-weight ratio useful for structures.{{cite journal |title=Mechanical properties of bamboo, a natural composite |last1=Lakkad |last2=Patel |journal=Fibre Science and Technology |volume=14 |issue=4 |date=June 1981 |pages=319–322 |doi=10.1016/0015-0568(81)90023-3}} In its natural form, bamboo as a construction material is traditionally associated with the cultures of South Asia, East Asia, and the South Pacific, to some extent in Central and South America, particularly in Colombia and Ecuador,{{Cite journal |last=Cabrera-Andrade |first=César Andrés |last2=Jaramillo-Benavides |first2=Andrea Salomé |date=2024-12-13 |title=Optimización constructiva de paneles de bambú para vivienda: estudio comparativo de casos |url=https://www.camjol.info/index.php/arquitectura/article/view/19062 |journal=Revista Arquitectura + |language=es |volume=9 |issue=18 |pages=103–117 |doi=10.5377/arquitectura.v9i18.19062 |issn=2518-2943}} and by extension in the aesthetic of Tiki culture.{{Cite web |last=Dao |first=Thomas |title=Historical Uses of Bamboo: From Ancient Times to Modern Day |url=https://vanglung.com/historical-uses-of-bamboo-from-ancient-times-to-modern-day/ |access-date=2025-02-14 |website=Vang Lung Rattan |language=en}}

In China and India, bamboo was used to hold up simple suspension bridges, either by making cables of split bamboo or twisting whole culms of sufficiently pliable bamboo together. One such bridge in the area of Qian-Xian is referenced in writings dating back to 960 AD and may have stood since as far back as the third century BC, due largely to continuous maintenance.{{citation needed|date=January 2018}}{{Cite journal |last=Maheshwari |first=Rohit |date=2019 |title=Comparison of bonding behaviour of bamboo reinforcement in concrete beam using bonding material |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/357932584 |journal=International Journal of Engineering Science and Computing |volume=9 |issue=5 |pages=21937 |via=Research Gate}}

File:Usage of Bamboo.JPG because of its versatility]]

Bamboo has also long been used as scaffolding; the practice has been banned in China for buildings over six stories, but is still in continuous use for skyscrapers in Hong Kong.{{cite news |first=Mark |last=Landler |title=Hong Kong Journal; For Raising Skyscrapers, Bamboo Does Nicely |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2002/03/27/world/hong-kong-journal-for-raising-skyscrapers-bamboo-does-nicely.html |work=The New York Times |date=27 March 2002 |access-date=12 August 2009 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090424015547/http://www.nytimes.com/2002/03/27/world/hong-kong-journal-for-raising-skyscrapers-bamboo-does-nicely.html |archive-date=24 April 2009}}

File:Sangat Resort in Busuanga.jpg, Philippines, with traditional woven bamboo walls (sawali)]]

In the Philippines, the nipa hut is a fairly typical example of the most basic sort of housing where bamboo is used; the walls are split and woven bamboo, and bamboo slats and poles may be used as its support.

In Japanese architecture, bamboo is used primarily as a supplemental or decorative element in buildings such as fencing, fountains, grates, and gutters, largely due to the ready abundance of quality timber.{{cite book

|author1=Nancy Moore Bess

|author2=Bibi Wein

|title=Bamboo in Japan

|publisher=Kodansha International

|year=1987

|isbn=978-4-7700-2510-4

|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UukQ2LaaP0wC&pg=PA101

|page=101

}}

Many ethnic groups in remote areas that have water access in Asia use bamboo that is 3–5 years old to make rafts. They use 8 to 12 poles, {{convert|6|–|7|m|ft|0|abbr=on}} long, laid together side by side to a width of about {{convert|1|m|ft|0|abbr=on}}. Once the poles are lined up together, they cut a hole crosswise through the poles at each end and use a small bamboo pole pushed through that hole like a screw to hold all the long bamboo poles together. Floating houses use whole bamboo stalks tied together in a big bunch to support the house floating in the water.

File:Abucay,Bataanjf3721 06.JPG farming (Abucay, Bataan, Philippines)]]

Due to its flexibility, bamboo is also used to make fishing rods. The split cane rod is especially prized for fly fishing.{{citation needed|date=June 2024}}

Bamboo has been traditionally used in Malaysia as a firecracker called a meriam buluh or bamboo cannon. Four-foot-long sections of bamboo are cut, and a mixture of water and calcium carbide are introduced. The resulting acetylene gas is ignited with a stick, producing a loud bang.

Bamboo has often been used to construct weapons and is still incorporated in several Asian martial arts.

• A bamboo staff, sometimes with one end sharpened, is used in the Tamil martial art of silambam, a word derived from a term meaning "hill bamboo".
• Staves used in the Indian martial art of gatka are commonly made from bamboo, a material favored for its light weight.
• A bamboo sword called a shinai is used in the Japanese martial art of kendo.
• Bamboo is used for crafting the bows, called yumi, and arrows used in the Japanese martial art kyūdō.
• The first gunpowder-based weapons, such as the fire lance, were made of bamboo.
• The Chinese Langxian, or "Wolf Brush Spear". Some variants of this weapon were just long bamboo poles with a spearhead that still had layers of leaves attached. The Langxian was mainly used as a defensive weapon in Qi Jiguang's Mandarin Duck Formation.{{Citation needed|date=June 2024}}
• Sharpened bamboo javelins weighted with sand known as bagakay were used as disposable missile weapons in both land and naval warfare in the Philippines. They were thrown in groups at a time at enemy ships or massed enemy formations. Non-disposable finely-crafted throwing spears made from bamboo weighted with sand known as sugob were also used. Sugob were mainly used for close-quarters combat and were only thrown when they could be retrieved.{{cite book|author=William Henry Scott|title =Barangay. Sixteenth-Century Philippine Culture and Society|publisher =Ateneo de Manila University Press|year =1994|page=[https://archive.org/details/BarangaySixteenthCenturyPhilippineCultureAndSociety/page/n35 63]|isbn =9715501389|url =https://archive.org/details/BarangaySixteenthCenturyPhilippineCultureAndSociety}}{{cite book |last1=Wiley |first1=Mark V. |title=Filipino Martial Culture |date=2011 |publisher=Tuttle Publishing |isbn=9781462903474}}
• Metal-tipped blowgun-spear called sumpit (or sumpitan), used by various ethnic groups in the islands of the Philippines, Borneo, and Sulawesi, were generally made from hollowed bamboo. They used thick short darts dipped in the concentrated sap of Antiaris toxicaria which could cause lethal cardiac arrest.{{cite book |last1=Marinas |first1=Amante P. Sr. |title=Blowgun Techniques: The Definitive Guide to Modern and Traditional Blowgun Techniques |date=17 April 2012 |publisher=Tuttle Publishing |isbn=9781462905546}}{{cite journal |last1=Darmadi |first1=Hamid |title=Sumpit (Blowgun) as Traditional Weapons with Dayak High Protection |journal=Journal of Education, Teaching and Learning |date=30 March 2018 |volume=3 |issue=1 |pages=113 |doi=10.26737/jetl.v3i1.601|doi-access=free }}
• The simple sharpened bamboo spear, known as bambu runcing (literally 'sharp bamboo' or 'pointed bamboo'), is a legendary symbol of Indonesian revolutionary spirit, embodying the will of the Indonesian people, who were often ill-equipped, to fight for independence against the Dutch occupation who held air- and naval supremacy along with Commonwealth aid.{{citation needed|date=November 2023}}
• Punji sticks are stakes of sharpened bamboo typically used in area denial and booby traps. Punji sticks were widely used in the Vietnam War by the Viet Cong.

Bamboo can be used in water desalination. A bamboo filter is used to remove the salt from seawater.{{cite web |url=http://www.unido.org/index.php?id=1000276 |title=Bamboo: an untapped and amazing resource |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091222230223/http://www.unido.org/index.php?id=1000276 |archive-date=22 December 2009 |publisher=UNIDO |access-date=30 November 2009}}{{Dubious|Talk:Bamboo#Desalination|date=May 2014}}

{{excerpt|Bamboo musical instruments}}

The Song dynasty (960–1279 AD) Chinese scientist and polymath Shen Kuo (1031–1095) used the evidence of underground petrified bamboo found in the dry northern climate of Yan'an, Shanbei region, Shaanxi province to support his geological theory of gradual climate change.Chan, Alan Kam-leung and Gregory K. Clancey, Hui-Chieh Loy (2002). Historical Perspectives on East Asian Science, Technology and Medicine. Singapore: Singapore University Press. {{ISBN|9971-69-259-7}}. p. 15.Needham, Joseph (1986). Science and Civilization in China: Volume 3, Mathematics and the Sciences of the Heavens and the Earth. Taipei: Caves Books, Ltd. p. 614.

File:Bamboo steamer-side stacked-fs PNr°0729.jpg, used to cook foods like dim sum]]

Bamboo is frequently used for cooking utensils within many cultures, and is used in the manufacture of chopsticks and bamboo steamers. In modern times, some see bamboo tools as an eco-friendly alternative to other manufactured utensils. Bamboo is also used to make eating utensils such as chopsticks, trays, and tea scoops. Several manufacturers offer bamboo bicycles, surfboards, snowboards, and skateboards.{{cite web |author=Jen Lukenbill |title=About My Planet: Bamboo Bikes |url=http://www.aboutmyplanet.com/environment/bamboo-bikes/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121025023815/http://www.aboutmyplanet.com/environment/bamboo-bikes/ |archive-date=25 October 2012 |access-date=4 January 2010}}{{cite web |author=Teo Kermeliotis |date=31 May 2012 |title=Made in Africa: Bamboo bikes put Zambian business on right track |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2012/05/31/business/bamboo-bicycles-zambia-zambikes/index.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121023013022/http://edition.cnn.com/2012/05/31/business/bamboo-bicycles-zambia-zambikes/index.html |archive-date=23 October 2012 |publisher=CNN}}

Bamboo has traditionally been used to make a wide range of everyday utensils and cutting boards, particularly in Japan,Brauen, M. Bamboo in Old Japan: Art and Culture on the Threshold to Modernity. The Hans Sporry Collection in the Ethnographic Museum of Zurich University. Arnoldsche Art Publishers: Stuttgart where archaeological excavations have uncovered bamboo baskets dating to the Late Jōmon period (2000–1000 BC).McCallum, T. M. Containing Beauty: Japanese Bamboo Flower Baskets. 1988. Museum of Cultural History, UCLA: Los Angeles Bamboo also has a long history of use in Asian furniture. Chinese bamboo furniture is a distinct style based on a millennia-long tradition, and bamboo is also used for floors due to its high hardness.{{cite journal |url=https://www.proquest.com/openview/c2fcadb5447b4ff728bef12bdb5e61c2/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=25222 |title=Selected physical properties of commercial bamboo flooring |last1=Lee |first1=Andy W.C. |last2=Liu |first2=Yihai |journal=Forest Products Journal |location=Madison |volume=53 |issue=6 |date=June 2003 |pages=23–26 |access-date=10 May 2017}}

Additionally, bamboo is used to create bracelets, earrings, necklaces, and other jewelry.{{Cite web |title=Bamboo, Bamboo uses and benefits, Bamboo sustainability |url=https://econation.one/bamboo/ |access-date=2024-05-12 |website=Econation |language=en-US}}

{{Infobox Chinese

| pic = Bamboo (Chinese characters).svg

| piccap = "Bamboo" in ancient seal script (top) and regular script (bottom) Chinese characters

| picupright = 0.25

| c = 竹

| p = zhú

| w = chu²

| mi = {{IPAc-cmn|zh|u|2}}

| wuu = tzoq

| j = zuk1

| ci = {{IPAc-yue|z|uk|1}}

| y = jūk

| tl = tik

| kanji = 竹

| romaji = take

| hangul = 대나무

| rr = daenamu

| chunom = 椥

| qn = tre

}}

Several Asian cultures, including that of the Andaman Islands, believe humanity emerged from a bamboo stem.{{Citation needed|date=June 2024}}

File:Hsü Wei 001.jpg, Ming Dynasty.]]

Bamboo's long life makes it a Chinese symbol of uprightness and an Indian symbol of friendship. The rarity of its blossoming has led to the flowers' being regarded as a sign of impending famine. This may be due to rats feeding upon the profusion of flowers, then multiplying and destroying a large part of the local food supply. The most recent flowering began in May 2006 (see Mautam). Various bamboo species bloom in this manner about every 28–60 years.{{cite journal |url=http://www.fao.org/documents/show_cdr.asp?url_file=/docrep/x5390e/x5390e05.htm |author=M. A. Huberman |title=Bamboo silviculture |at=(gregarious flowering species table) |journal=Unasylva |date=1959 |volume=13 |issue=1 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060629042246/http://www.fao.org/documents/show_cdr.asp?url_file=%2Fdocrep%2Fx5390e%2Fx5390e05.htm |archive-date=29 June 2006}}

In Chinese culture, the bamboo, plum blossom, orchid, and chrysanthemum (often known as méilánzhújú {{lang|zh-hant|梅蘭竹菊}} in Chinese) are collectively referred to as the Four Gentlemen. These four plants also represent the four seasons and, in Confucian ideology, four aspects of the junzi ("prince" or "noble one"). The pine (sōng {{lang|zh-hant|松}}), the bamboo (zhú {{lang|zh-hant|竹}}), and the plum blossom (méi {{lang|zh-hant|梅}}) are also admired for their perseverance under harsh conditions, and are together known as the "Three Friends of Winter" (suìhán sānyǒu {{Lang|zh-hant|歲寒三友}}) in Chinese culture.{{citation needed|date=June 2024}}

File:Freer 022.jpg of Zhang's style, the poem Returning to My Farm in the Field by the fourth-century poet Tao Yuanming is incised on the holder.]]

File:S03 03 02 016 image 63.jpg

Bamboo, one of the "Four Gentlemen" (bamboo, orchid, plum blossom and chrysanthemum), plays such an important role in traditional Chinese culture that it is even regarded as a behavior model of the gentleman. As bamboo has features such as uprightness, tenacity, and modesty, people endow bamboo with integrity, elegance, and plainness, though it is not physically strong. Countless poems praising bamboo written by ancient Chinese poets are actually metaphorically about people who exhibited these characteristics. An ancient poet, Bai Juyi (772–846), thought that to be a gentleman, a man does not need to be physically strong, but he must be mentally strong, upright, and perseverant. Just as a bamboo is hollow-hearted, he should open his heart to accept anything of benefit and never have arrogance or prejudice.{{citation needed|date=June 2024}}

Bamboo is not only a symbol of a gentleman, but also plays an important role in Buddhism, which was introduced into China in the first century. As canons of Buddhism forbids cruelty to animals, flesh and egg were not allowed in the diet. The tender bamboo shoot (sǔn {{lang|zh-hant|筍}} in Chinese) thus became a nutritious alternative. Preparation methods developed over thousands of years have come to be incorporated into Asian cuisines, especially for monks. A Buddhist monk, Zan Ning, wrote a manual of the bamboo shoot called Sǔn Pǔ ({{lang|zh-hant|筍譜}}) offering descriptions and recipes for many kinds of bamboo shoots.Laws, B. 2010. Bamboo. Fifty Plants that Changed the Course of History. New York:Firefly Books (U.S) Inc. Bamboo shoot has always been a traditional dish on the Chinese dinner table, especially in southern China.

In ancient times, those who could afford a big house with a yard would plant bamboo in their garden.{{citation needed|date=June 2024}}

In a Chinese legend, the Emperor Yao gave two of his daughters to the future Emperor Shun as a test for his potential to rule. Shun passed the test of being able to run his household with the two emperor's daughters as wives, and thus Yao made Shun his successor, bypassing his unworthy son. After Shun's death, the tears of his two bereaved wives fell upon the bamboos growing there explains the origin of spotted bamboo. The two women later became goddesses Xiangshuishen after drowning themselves in the Xiang River.{{citation needed|date=June 2024}}

File:SANY0032 (3158073374).jpg made for Japanese New Year]]

Bamboo is a symbol of prosperity in Japan, and are used to make New Year's decorations called kadomatsu. Bamboo forests sometimes surround Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples as part of a sacred barrier against evil. In the folktale Tale of the Bamboo Cutter (Taketori Monogatari), princess Kaguya emerges from a shining bamboo section.{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7Y8MAQAAMAAJ&q=princess+Kaguya+emerges+from+a+shining+bamboo+section |title=Japan Quarterly |date=1986 |publisher=Asahi Shinbun |pages=269 |language=en}}

In Japan, the Chinese "Three Friends of Winter" (kansai sanyū) concept is traditionally used as a ranking system, where pine ({{lang|ja|松}} matsu) is the first rank, bamboo ({{lang|ja|竹}} take) is the second rank, and plum ({{lang|ja|梅}} ume) is the third rank. This system is used in many traditional arts like with sushi sets, embroidering kimono or tiers of accommodations at traditional ryōkan taverns.{{citation needed|date=June 2024}}

Bamboo is known to be a strong material and able to withstand extreme heat. It is the only plant known to have survived the atomic bombings of Hiroshima in 1945.{{Cite web |last=Bioproducts |first=Bamboo |date=2020-11-30 |title=10 Things You Didn't Know About Bamboo |url=https://www.bamboobioproducts.com/post/10-things-you-didn-t-know-about-bamboo |access-date=2024-12-18 |website=Bamboo Bioproducts |language=en}}

In Malaysia, a similar story includes a man who dreams of a beautiful woman while sleeping under a bamboo plant; he wakes up and breaks the bamboo stem, discovering the woman inside.{{citation needed|date=June 2024}}

In Philippine mythology, one of the more famous creation accounts tells of the first man Malakás ("Strong") and the first woman Maganda ("Beautiful") each emerging from one half of a split bamboo stem on an island formed after the battle between Sky and Ocean.{{citation needed|date=June 2024}}

File:Cây nêu 2.jpg - A Vietnamese New Year tree made from bamboo]]

Bamboo plays an important part of the culture of Vietnam. Bamboo symbolizes the spirit of Vovinam (a Vietnamese martial arts): cương nhu phối triển (coordination between hard and soft (martial arts)). Bamboo also symbolizes the Vietnamese hometown and Vietnamese soul: the gentlemanlike, straightforwardness, hard working, optimism, unity, and adaptability. A Vietnamese proverb says, "Tre già, măng mọc" (When the bamboo is old, the bamboo sprouts appear), the meaning being Vietnam will never be annihilated; if the previous generation dies, the children take their place. Therefore, the Vietnamese nation and Vietnamese values will be maintained and developed eternally. Traditional Vietnamese villages are surrounded by thick bamboo hedges (lũy tre).{{citation needed|date=June 2024}}

During Ngô Đình Diệm's presidency, bamboo was the national symbol of South Vietnam, it was featured on the national coat of arms, presidential standard, and South Vietnamese đồng coins at the time.{{citation needed|date=June 2024}}

A bamboo cane is also the weapon of Vietnamese legendary hero, Thánh Gióng, who had grown up immediately and magically since the age of three because of his wish to liberate his land from Ân invaders. The ancient Vietnamese legend Cây tre trăm đốt (The Hundred-knot Bamboo Tree) tells of a poor, young farmer who fell in love with his landlord's beautiful daughter. The farmer asked the landlord for his daughter's hand in marriage, but the proud landlord would not allow her to be bound in marriage to a poor farmer. The landlord decided to foil the marriage with an impossible deal; the farmer must bring him a "bamboo tree of 100 nodes". But Gautama Buddha (Bụt) appeared to the farmer and told him that such a tree could be made from 100 nodes from several different trees. Bụt gave to him four magic words to attach the many nodes of bamboo: Khắc nhập, khắc xuất, which means "joined together immediately, fell apart immediately". The triumphant farmer returned to the landlord and demanded his daughter. Curious to see such a long bamboo, the landlord was magically joined to the bamboo when he touched it, as the young farmer said the first two magic words. The story ends with the happy marriage of the farmer and the landlord's daughter after the landlord agreed to the marriage and asked to be separated from the bamboo.{{citation needed|date=June 2024}}

Tanzania possesses a large diversity of bamboo species.{{Cite web |date=2016-03-30 |title=Bamboo: Africa's untapped potential |url=https://www.un.org/africarenewal/magazine/april-2016/bamboo-africa%E2%80%99s-untapped-potential |access-date=2023-08-29 |website=Africa Renewal |language=en}}

The Bozo ethnic group of West Africa take their name from the Bambara phrase bo-so, which means "bamboo house".

Bamboo is also the national plant of St. Lucia.

Hawaiian bamboo ('ohe) is a kinolau or body form of the Polynesian creator god Kāne.

Arundinaria bamboos, known as giant cane or river cane, are a central part of the material cultures of Southeastern Native American nations, so much so that they have been called "the plastic of the Southeastern Indians."{{cite web |title=RIVER CANE Cultural Workhorse and Ecological Powerhouse |url=https://www.conservationgateway.org/ConservationPractices/FireLandscapes/FireLearningNetwork/NetworkProducts/Documents/SBR-RivercaneWebinar-Slides-Cozzo.pdf |website=conservationgateway.org |publisher=Revitalization of Traditional Cherokee Artisan Resources}} Among the Cherokee, river cane has been used to make waterproof baskets, mats, fishing poles, flutes, blowguns, arrows, and to build houses, among other uses; the seed and young shoots are also edible.{{cite web |title=River Cane – Cultural Workhorse and Ecological Powerhouse |url=https://www.conservationgateway.org/ConservationPractices/FireLandscapes/FireLearningNetwork/NetworkProducts/Documents/SBR-RivercaneWebinar-Slides-Cozzo.pdf |website=conservationgateway.org |publisher=Revitalization of Traditional Cherokee Artisan Resources}}{{cite web |title=River Cane |url=https://www.cherokee.org/media/jkwow40z/rivercane.pdf |website=cherokee.org |publisher=Cherokee Nation}} Traditional Cherokee double-woven baskets, crafted from river cane that has been split and dyed in various colors, are sometimes considered among the finest in the world. Since the North American bamboos are now rare, with 98% of their original extent eliminated, the Cherokee have initiated an effort to restore it.{{cite book |author1=Andrea L. Rogers |title=Wildlife Stewardship on Tribal Lands |date=2023 |publisher=Johns Hopkins University Press |editor1-last=Hoagland |editor1-first=Serra J. |editor-link=Serra Hoagland |location=Baltimore |pages=309–311 |chapter=28 |editor2-last=Albert |editor2-first=Steven}}

• List of bamboo species
• Bambuseae
• Bamboo blossom
• International Network for Bamboo and Rattan
• Bamboo construction
• Bamboo textile
• Bamboo processing machine
• Ceremonial pole
• Mautam

{{reflist}}

Bamboo – The Plant and its Uses. Part of the Tropical Forestry book series (TROPICAL, volume 10), 2015.

{{Commons}}

{{Wikiquote}}

{{Wikispecies|Bambusoideae}}

• {{cite EB1911|wstitle=Bamboo}}
• [https://wedocs.unep.org/bitstream/handle/20.500.11822/28818/inbar.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y Bamboo for Climate Change] by INBAR.
• [https://www.iso.org/standard/73831.html Bamboo Structural Design ISO Standards]

{{Poaceae-navbox}}

{{Fibers}}

{{Forestry}}

{{Taxonbar|from=Q670887}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:Building materials

Bamboo

Bamboo

Bamboo

Bamboo

Bamboo

Category:National symbols of Saint Lucia

Category:National symbols of Japan

Category:National symbols of China

Category:Rhizomatous plants

Category:Stem vegetables