10 Fun Facts About Bamboo
Happy World Bamboo Day!
In honor of World Bamboo Day, we’re excited to share some fun facts about this well-known sustainable wood and renewable resource! Write in to the Leaf Explorers or share with us on Instagram how many of these fun facts you already knew about bamboo!
Bamboo is the fastest growing plant in the world
This plant family is known as Poacea and grows easily and abundantly in several varieties. It is considered one of the fastest growing wood plants (grasses, actually) on the planet! Unlike trees, and much like the grass you see on your lawn, once cut it continues to grow. It rapidly reproduces the visible bamboo poles or “culms” after being trimmed due to its strong and resilient underground system of roots called rhizomes. Bamboo can grow as much as one meter in twenty four hours! Wow!
it is found in warmer climates, but…
Bamboo is typically associated with the tropics but it can grow in most climates! With a rapidly growing population, the demand for wood made products places tremendous pressure on our global hardwood resources and also depletes natural wildlife habitats. Bamboo provides a high performance alternative, allowing our beautiful trees to stay intact.
bamboo creates oxygen
Plants absorb carbon dioxide, and bamboo isn’t an exception. Bamboo crops absorb carbon dioxide and can generate up to 35% more oxygen than the same amount of trees.
it improves soil quality
While it is common for plants to use up the soil’s nutrients in order to survive, bamboo actually improves soil quality. Bamboo grows best in soil that aerated, light in structure and has good content of organic matter. The soil should allow good drainage but still retain moisture.
bamboo doesn’t need help to grow
You may have seen fertilizers and water being sprinkled on the garden in your backyard. Astoundingly, bamboo does not require chemicals, pesticides, fertilizers, or watering in order to grow. When bamboo is harvested, it will continue to grow without any additional planting or cultivation. It just keeps growing!
a plant of many uses
Did you know that Bamboo is stronger than steel? Yes! It has a strong structure and bamboo is widely used in the construction industry. It guarantees better performances (in terms of resistance, traction and compression) with respect to other traditional materials such as wood, steel and concrete. More than one billion people around the world live in bamboo houses. Bamboo is incredibly versatile and is used to produce textiles, household products, musical instruments, automotive parts and event electronic products. In fact, clothing made of bamboo keeps the skin cool and dry. It works as natural thermostat to regulate the temperature of the body.
you can eat it too!
Bamboo is edible. The shoots of bamboo, also known as bamboo sprouts, are rich in fibre and potassium. Bamboo has been a part of the daily diet in Asian countries for decades.
bamboo symbolizes strength
In Chinese culture, bamboo is a symbol of durability, strength, resilience and flexibility. As bamboo grows tall and upright, its’ strength teaches us to stand upright and its flexibility teaches us to adapt to the harshest circumstances. The combination of these virtues teaches us how to find balance and inner peace in our lives, in turn improving our health.
thomas edison used bamboo in the first light bulb
Thomas Edison invented the light bulb and used bamboo filaments in his first light bulbs. One of those light bulbs is still burning today at the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C. After the patent for the light bulb was granted in 1879, Thomas Edison and his team discovered that a carbonized bamboo filament could burn for more than 1,200 hours.
found on almost every continent
Yes, you read that right! Bamboo can be found on almost every single continent. It grows everywhere, except in Antartica!