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The Usefulness of Bamboo Plants
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One of the most versatile and useful plants in the world is the bamboo plant. Unlike trees, bamboo grows at an amazing rate of up to 2 inches per hour. This makes it the world’s quickest growing plant. In several cases, the bamboo plant can grow up to 4 meters in a day.
Many people think that bamboo plants are trees, but they are not trees, if fact they are evergreen grass. These grasses fall into 91 different genre, with over 1,000 species currently known. As each species can be used for different things, this variety works to ensure the lasting survival of this plant.
This astonishing growing rate makes bamboo plants priceless in eastern regions such as India, China and Japan, as the bamboo plants can be used as food, wood and fuel. The fast growing rate makes this renewable resource a cornerstone of those societies. As bamboo, when properly treated, can be extremely durable and long lasting, it provides an easy solution to many problems.
One of the most common uses of bamboo is in construction. When used in construction bamboo can create stable scoffoldings, add decorative value to both the inside and outside of a home or commercial building, and it is commonly used as paneling or flooring. Some other applications of bamboo include, carpets, throw rugs, chop sticks, tables, chairs and other furniture. Bamboo is also popular in landscaping.
When bamboo plants are young, the shoots can be consumed from many different varieties. However, not all types of bamboo shoots should be consumed. {For example, some types like the giant bamboo}~As an example, the giant bamboo contains cyanide within the shoots. Cyanide can be toxic to people.
Many types of animals thrive by consuming bamboo. Most notably is the panda, which only lives on bamboo stalks and leaves.
Although bamboo serves many purposes in society, bamboo plants do not come without faults. The bamboo plant, for reasons yet proven by research, tend to have mass flowering and fruiting seasons. This is most notable in the Bay of Bengal, where the bamboo plants flower once every 30 to 35 years. This mass blooming and fruiting causes dire problems to human populations nearby. As the fruit ripens, rats swarm. As the rats gather in mass, the can cause economic and health problems to people. This can cause many human deaths, as there is not much that can be done to stop the fruiting once it has begun. As the bamboo populations require the blooming season for survival, they cannot be simply destroyed to prevent the rat swarms.
Bamboo is a versatile plant and can thrive in many areas across the globe. They are most commonly located in East Asia, although they can thrive in sub-Saharan Africa, North and South America. Bamboo does not live in Europe, North Africa, western Asia, Canada and Antarctica.
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