Giant bamboo: Bambusa balcooa

#LoveYourCampus

Interactive Botanical Tour

Point No. 14

Species: Dendrocalamus giganteus (Munro)

Family: Poaceae

Dendrocalamus giganteus is commonly known as Giant Bamboo. In Chinese culture it can also be referred to as Dragon Bamboo. Something interesting about Bamboo is that it actually belongs to the grass family, it is just very, very tall! This genus only flowers every 150 years, every individual across the globe synchronises this flowering event after which the parents die off. This strategy is designed to starve their predators. This stand of bamboo predates the Manie van der Schiff botanical gardens database and was likely planted here before the 1950s.

Figure 1: Giant bamboo Thierry Cordenos, iNaturalist

Bamboo differs from grasses due to the heights the plant can reach (approximately 10 to 25 m) and the woody or tree-like appearance. The Giant Bamboo’s new shoots can grow up to 30 cm daily meaning it can grow up to 109.5 m yearly.^[3] The plant growth form is often recognised as a dense clumping. Characteristically of Bamboo the nodes are swollen, and young nodes may have aerial roots present, while older nodes have branches present. Young leaves are often covered with velvety brown hair-like structures.^[8] Bamboo life cycles are quite interesting. The clump on campus develops in a three-year cycle, and in the fourth year the plant stem dies. The campus clump was last felled down in 2020 (just before Covid). The last interesting fact about Bamboo plant anatomy is that the plant is a perennial and only flowers once in its lifetime. Bamboo plants are said to be masting species that generate an abundance of seeds in a synchronized manner with other plants of the same species  in a particular region every two or more years.  The majority of masting species are iteroparous, which means they blossom and bear fruit several times throughout their lifespan. However, these Bamboos are an exception because they are semelparous. Semelparous species only flower once and only experience mast flowering before they die . This means the Bamboo will gradually flower to produce seeds as the individual clump dies off after flowering. Seeing a Bamboo flower is considered a once in a lifetime occurrence as some species can take between 3 to 150 years to flower.^[7]

Bamboo is a very diverse group of plants and currently there is approximately 92 described genera which consist of about 1200 to 1700 species.^[4] Where did this giant diverse grass come from? The historical origin of the Giant Bamboo was traced back to the Zhejiang Province in China approximately 7000 years ago. Further evidence to support that the plant is indigenous to China are houses and paper for books which are approximately 5000 years old which were most likely constructed during the Han Dynasty (206 B.C. to 221).^[4] Bamboo is often only associated with China, however, the plant does have other native home ranges, one of which is South America.^[7]

Bamboo grows naturally in tropical to mild temperate regions.^[6] These plants can grow at approximately 1200m elevations. The plant prefers regions with a high humidity along with nutrient rich soils. Once the plant has found its roots it can be quite persistent and enduring to harsh climates. Why is this plant important for natural ecosystems? One particularly good-natured bear uses the plant as its staple food.^[1] Yes, Giant pandas or Bamboo Bears depend on the Bamboo plant for nutrition and shelter.

 Figure 3: Joachim S. Mueller, iNaturalist. Panda feeding on bamboo.

Bamboo is not only useful to satisfy Panda appetite, but it also has many positive uses for humans. Furthermore, the plant is used for construction since many modern homes are built from Bamboo. The plant can be eaten, although we generally find it less tasteful. Lastly the plant is used for decorative purposes. Yes, Bamboo is often a key plant in Zen gardens. Additional uses include art and musical instruments.^[5] TERRAGRN will cultivate different species of clumping, non-invasive bamboo. This will be collected in a sustainable manner to annually create millions of tonnes of dry bamboo biomass. This biomass will be converted into pellets, green hydrogen, and power, among other natural and renewable energy sources. ^[10]

References

Cited Sources

^[1] Forever Bamboo. (n.d.). History of Bamboo and Its Usage. [Online]. Available: https://blog.foreverbamboo.com/history-of-bamboo/ [Accessed 25 October 2022].

^[2] Forever Bamboo. (n.d.). 5 Easy Ways to Decorate with Bamboo Poles. [Online]. Available: https://blog.foreverbamboo.com/5-easy-ways-decorate-bamboo-poles/ [Accessed 1 November 2022].

^[3] Gardenia.net. (n.d.). Dendrocalamus giganteus (Giant Bamboo). [Online]. Available: https://www.gardenia.net/plant/dendrocalamus-giganteus [Accessed 3 November 2022].

^[4] Katemopoulos, M. (2017). The History of Bamboo Plants. Garden Guides. [Online]. Available:  https://www.gardenguides.com/81160-history-bamboo-plants.html [Accessed 23 October 2022].

^[5] New World Encyclopedia contributors. (2022). Bamboo. New World Encyclopedia. [Online] Available: https://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/p/index.php?title=Bamboo&oldid=1022245 [Accessed 26 October 2022].

^[6] Schröder, S. (n.d.). Dendrocalamus giganteus. Guadua Bamboo. [Online]. Available: https://www.guaduabamboo.com/blog/dendrocalamus-giganteus[Accessed 21 October 2022].

^[7] Schröder, S. (n.d.) The Mysterious Flowering Cycles of Bamboo Plants. Guadua Bamboo. [Online] Available: https://www.guaduabamboo.com/blog/bamboo-flowering-habits[Accessed 25 October 2022].

^[8] Schult, B. (n.d.). Dendrocalamus asper. Plants for a future. [Online]. Available:  https://pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Dendrocalamus+asper[Accessed 27 October 2022].

^[9] ScoopWhoop. (2017). This Horrific Bamboo Torture Technique Is One Of The Worst The World Has Ever Seen. [Online]. Available: https://www.scoopwhoop.com/trivia/the-deadly-bamboo-torture-technique/  [Accessed 3 November 2022].

^[10] TERRAGRN. (n.d.). About Us. [Online]. Available: https://www.terragrn.com/about  [Accessed 3 November 2022].

Images

Thierry Cordenos, iNaturalist:  https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/68420334

Joachim S. Mueller, iNaturalist:  https://www.inaturalist.org/photos/150277588