Bamboo free essay sample

Bamboo is actually and evergreen plant, and a member of the true grass family  Phocaea. It is the fastest growing woody perennial on the planet, and some of the giant species can grow up to four feet per day! It is found on nearly every continent in the world, and has a wide range of useful applications. Bamboo products are used extensively in the modern world, and its usage has been growing rapidly in recent years. It is an easily renewable resource and its cultivation is beneficial to the environment. A bamboo grove creates 5 times more bio-material than a typical pine forest, making it beneficial to the environment. Bamboo is truly an amazing plant, and provides great benefits for our planet. There is currently over 1,000 known  bamboo species, and 91 genera. The bamboo family is diverse and can grow in a wide range of climates and conditions. Bamboo can be found growing in the cold high altitude mountains of Tibet, and in the warm desert climates of sub-Saharan Africa. Sizes, shapes, colours, and behaviours of bamboo can also vary significantly. The plant can grow as short as a couple of inches, to as tall as 100 plus feet and 8 inches in diameter. Colours of bamboo canes are typically bright green, but can also be jet black, or even striped. The varying of appearances makes them an idea choice for ornamental and landscaping purposes. Bamboo is a staple of the Japanese garden and a symbol of Japanese culture. The cultural significance of Bamboo in Asian culture is profound and has been well documented in the history books. In fact, Bamboo was actually used as the writing medium in ancient Chinese literature. Scribes would write on bamboo slats, which are known in the United States as bamboo scrolls. Much of the history of China has been document this way, and without bamboo much of it may have been lost. Bamboos are woody stemmed members of the grass family, Poeceae, which belong to the family Bambusoideae. All members of the subfamily can be distinguished from the other grasses by foliage leaf blades which are attached to their branch lets by slender leaf stalks or petioles. Other grasses like corn and sugar cane have leaves without petioles. The Culms Like all grasses the bamboos have stems or culms which are segmented by oints called nodes. Bamboo nodes are always solid but between the nodes, the internodes of the culm are usually hollow. A group of culms growing near one another are usually connected together underground by segmented stems called rhizomes to form a single plant. The roots grow from the nodes of the rhizomes. The rhizomes serve as a storehouse of food for the bamboo p lant allowing new culms to grow very rapidly. Each culm grows to its full height in a grand period of growth which usually takes no longer than 2 or 3 months. Thereafter, even though it may live for up to 10 years, the culm does not increase in height or diameter. A plant with small rhizomes can produce only small culms. Under favourable conditions the rhizomes will increase in size and produce larger culms each year until the limit for that particular species is reached. The oldest culms are thus often the smallest and the youngest the largest. Bamboo Culms or Canes The Rhizomes There are two basic types of bamboos, the clampers and the runners. The culms of a clumping species grow close to one another usually no more than a foot apart. While the culms of a runner are often spaced far apart. Up to 10 ft. or more. The spacing of the culms is characteristic of each species and depends on the nature of the rhizomes. McClure first used the terms symposia and monopodia to describe c1umpers and runners. Sympodial refers to the branching habit of clumping rhizomes: each rhizome typically branches into a pair of rhizomes, each of which branches into a pair again. Monopodial refers to the running rhizome which consists of a main axis from which branches arise one at a time. Later (McClure. 1966) the above two terms were abandoned in favour of pachymorph and leptomorph: the first refers to the short. Thick shape of the clumping rhizome while the later describes the long, slender shape of a running rhizome. Both pairs of terms describe some of the features of the two rhizome types but I prefer to use the words clamper and runner. A running bamboo has the capability of spreading rapidly. It can also get nourishment from the ground at some distance from its culms. Under favourable growing conditions the runner planted as an ornamental can become a problem, growing into a lawn. a flower bed or a neighbors yard. The c1umpers are more well behaved as they can only spread slowly from the edge of the clump. In most cases the clump diameter will be no greater than about 10 or 15 ft. after many years. In most genera of bamboos all of the species are either clumpers or runners. Most clumpers are tropical or subtropical plants that are damaged by temperatures below about 15 ° F, while most runners can withstand colder temperatures. There are exceptions the two most hardy species grown in the U. S. Thamnocalamlls spathaceolls  (Fran. ) Soder. and  Sinarundinaria nitida  (Mitf. ) Nakai are clumping bamboos The Branches Almost all bamboos have one or more branches that grow from the culm nodes. In many species the lower nodes of large culms remain branchless. The number of branches , their relative size and their arangement on the culm node is an important characteristic for the identification of the genus and sometimes of the species. Bamboo Branches The Leaves The bamboo leaf complement consists of two parts, the sheath and the blade. The sheath wraps around the stem to which it is attached at the sheath base. The opposite or distal end of the sheath develops into the blade which is often flat and bent away from the sheath and stem. Bamboos have two distinct kinds of leaves. Culm leaves and foliage leaves. Culm leaves are attached at the base of their sheaths directly to culm nodes atthe sheath scar. The culm leaf sheath, which is usually large compared to the blade, serves to protect the new culms as they emerge during the grand period of growth. After the culm grows to its full height the culm leaf dries and often fall soff. On the upper end of the sheath on both sides of the blade are two auricles. The bristle-like hairs which extend from the margins of the auricles are called oral setae. Extending up from the central margin of the sheath is the ligule. The auricles and oral setae may be lacking on some species. Culm leaf blades are larger toward the upper end of the culm. Near the upper tip the leaves are similar to foliage leaves; the blades remain green and persist long after the lower culm leaves have fallen off. The culm leaf sheath is often simply called the culm sheath or the sheath. Foliage leaves grow from branchlets. The blades are generally large compared to the sheaths which wrap tightly around the stems often overlapping the sheath above it. The foliage leaf blade is commonly called simply the leaf. Foliage leaves have ligules and often auricles and oral setae. The foliage leaf blade is always attached to its sheath by a stem or petiole in contrast to the culm leaf blade which is often without a petiole. Foliage leaves drop off after about one year but not until new leaves have grown to replace them so that the bamboos are generally green year round. The leaves that grow from main branches tend to resemble culm leaves while those at the ends of culms and branches are somewhere between the two types. To identify species one should look at culm leaves that grow near the middle of large culms and at foliage leaves that grow from branchlets. Bamboo Leaves The Flowers The flowering of bamboo plants occurs at irregular, often long intervals. Each species has its individual pattern; it may flower continuously. yearly. every few years. or at long intervals up to over 100 years. The flowers may be only a few. cover one or a few culms or cover all culms of the species growing in a wide area. With heavy flowering vegetative growth comes to a virtual standstill that may last from a few months to many years, after which the plant may slowly recover its vegetative growth or it may die. Each flower does not produce a seed and often plants will produce a massive quantity of flowers and little or no fruit. The history of the flowering ofPhylloslachys  is given by Adamson et al. (978) for plants grown at the United States Barbour Lathrop Plant Introduction Garden at Savannah, Georgia (hereafter called the Garden). Eighteen different accessions representing 10 different species flowered between 1951 and 1977. Of these, 8 accessions died, 8 recovered and two were still flowering in 1977. During this time all of the accessions ofP. niduaria  flowered while some accessions of  P. bambusoidesflowered and some did not. Because of the rarity of flowering in most bamboos, one must often rely on the vegetative characteristics to distinguish species. When a plant does flower it often lacks the vegetative parts such as culm leaves which are critical for identification. In some cases most of the foliage leaves fall off of flowering plants Characteristics: Bamboo is an attractive alternative for flooring because of its physical similarities to hardwoods. Bamboo floor manufacturers and sellers promote its strength, durability as well as resistance to insects and moisture while having the added benefit of being eco friendly. The hardness of bamboo ranges from 1180 (carbonized horizontal) to around 1380 (natural) using the  Janka hardness test  versus  red oak  (1290),  white oak  (1360),  rock maple  (1450), andhickory  (1820),Brazilian Cherry / Jatoba (2350), (the higher the number the harder the material). Care and maintenance: Bamboo is an aggressive plant and will require general maintenance task throughout the year. Its behaviors are different than many other garden plants. In this section, we break down the common maintenance tasks you may encounter. Following these guidelines will help you maintain healthy and happy bamboo plants. Watering  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Ornamental and garden bamboos require a regular watering schedule, and cannot rely completely on rain water. Bamboo likes to dry after watering, so your watering schedule will need to alternate days. It is important to keep a balanced water schedule, as too much or too little water can be harmful to the bamboo. Newly planted specimens should be watered at least twice a week in their ideal weather conditions. In areas with warm temperatures or frequent wind, the bamboo may require water up to 5 times a week. As a grower, you must make a judgment call on watering frequency by examining the leaves and soil. Bamboo leaves will start to curl inwards if they are not receiving enough water. This is a natural mechanism used by the plant to protect itself against drought. By curling the leaves the plant will prevent water from escaping by trapping it in the pockets it creates. If you notice that your bamboo is starting to display this behavior, it should be a red flag that more water is needed. Soil also needs to be monitored on a regular basis, with this being especially true for container bamboos. Bamboo growing in a container is vulnerable to overwatering, and it is common for gardeners to unknowingly waterlog the plant. This can lead to rotting of the rhizomes and roots, and can even kill the entire plant. Fertilizer  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ After your bamboo plant is established, it is recommended to fertilize regularly. An organic fertilizer that is high in nitrogen is the ideal choice. Half rotted horse or cow manure is also an excellent choice, and can often be obtained for free. A standard high nitrogen lawn fertilized works well, and is often the most cost effective choice. Fertilizer should be applied once in the summer when rhizomes are developing, and again in the fall or early spring. Apply a 2 inch layer of your fertilizer mixture or compost around the base of the plant. You can also spread the mixture out to areas you want the plants to grow. Thinning and Pruning  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Pruning bamboo on a regular basis is usually not necessary and is primarily done for aesthetics. Culms will generally live up to ten years, but can start to dry out and look unattractive later in life. Removing the older culms is an important maintenance task and will promote the health of the newly emerging culms. The older culms will compete for light and nutrients with the younger culms and allowing them to live will lessen the overall beauty of the entire clump or grove. This is done by cutting off the old culm at soil level. We recommend that old or dead culms are removed at least once per year from your garden. In the case of timber bamboos, you can promote large and rapid growth by removing the smaller culms in the grove. Removing small culms will allow for the space and nutrients required to produce giant timber bamboo. Thinning and pruning will do wonders for the health and appearance of the plants. Controlling Spread  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ There are several method used to control the spread of running (leptomorph) bamboos. The most common tactic is to install a HDPE rhizome barrier around the growing area. Check out our article on installing a rhizome barrier for a full breakdown. Depending on the area, installation of a rhizome barrier can be a difficult or impossible task. The most simple and cost effective method of controlling bamboo is to prune the rhizomes on a regular basis. Rhizome pruning is a seasonal task, normally done in late fall through spring. As new rhizomes emerge from the soil, a sharp garden spade can be used to sever the rhizomes as they travel beneath the ground. Start by marking out the desired perimeter to which the bamboo should be confined. Next, plunge the spade as deep as possible into the soil along this perimeter. This will cut the rhizomes in the area and limit their growth for the remainder of the season. This must be done at least once per year in order to work effectively. Winter Protection  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Bamboo is most vulnerable during the winter months. In cold, windy climates there are necessary steps to take to protect your bamboo. After the initial planting, the goal is to allow the plant enough time to establish a root system and become hardy enough to survive in freezing winds, temperatures, and frost. Freezing winds are a young bamboo plant’s worst enemy. The cold temperatures are not particularly damaging, but the loss of moisture will cause plant to dry out quickly. For a young plant that is not well established, the aftermath of winter can be devastating. Frost can also be troublesome to bamboo. A consistent layer of frost has the potential to cause cell irreversible cell damage to the leaves, branches, and culms. Leaves are the most susceptible to frost, but the culms are also at risk during the winter. It is important to know and understand the cold hardiness of the variety of bamboo you are growing. This will help you prepare the area according to the exact needs of your bamboo. Black Bamboo covered in snow. (Photo: Paul Smith) The first and most important step to protecting your bamboo in the winter is to provide a heavy layer of mulch at the base of the plant. This will give the soil beneath some degree of protection from freezing temperatures and allow the roots and rhizomes to remain healthy. Good mulch can consist of dried leaves, organic compost, or a low growing groundcover plant. The next step is to protect the plant from excessive wind exposure. This can be done by planting some type of cold hardy plant in the vicinity of the bamboo to deflect and absorb the incoming wind. It is also possible to install a screen or panel in front of the plant to provide an equal level of protection. Uses Culinary The shoots (new culms that come out of the ground) of bamboo are edible. They are used in numerous Asian dishes and broths, and are available in supermarkets in various sliced forms, in both fresh and canned versions. The shoots of the giant bamboo (Cathariostachys madagascariensis) contain  cyanide. Despite this, the  golden bamboo lemur  ingests many times the quantity of toxin that would kill a human. The bamboo shoot in its fermented state forms an important ingredient in cuisines across the Himalayas. Pickled bamboo, used as a condiment, may also be made from the  pith  of the young shoots. Pickled bamboo shoots (Nepali: tama) are cooked with black eyed beans as a delicacy food in Nepal 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. Medicine Bamboo is used in  Chinese medicine  for treating infections and healing. It is a low-calorie source of potassium. It is known for its sweet taste and as a good source of nutrients and protein. In  Ayurveda, the Indian system of traditional medicine, the siliceous concretion found in the culms of the bamboo stem is called  banslochan. Construction House made entirely of bamboo In its natural form, bamboo as a construction material is traditionally associated with the cultures of South Asia, East Asia and the South Pacific. In China and India, bamboo was used to hold upsimple 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 960 A. D. and may have stood since as far back as the 3rd century B. C. , due largely to continuous maintenance. Bamboo has also long been used as scaffolding; the practice has been banned in China for buildings over six storeys but is still in continuous use for skyscrapers in  Hong Kong. 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 and/or decorative element in buildings such as fencing, fountains, grates and gutters, largely due to the ready abundance of quality timber. Bamboo scaffolding  can reach great heights. Various structural shapes may be made by training the bamboo to assume them as it grows. Squared sections of bamboo are created by compressing the growing stalk within a square form. [21]  Arches may similarly be created by forcing the bamboos growth with the desired form, and costs much less than it would to assume the same shape in regular wood timber. More traditional forming methods, such as the application of heat and pressure, may also be used to curve or flatten the cut stalks. [22] Products made from bamboo laminate, including flooring, cabinetry, furniture and even decorations, are currently surging in popularity, transitioning from the boutique market to mainstream providers such as  Home Depot. The bamboo goods industry (which also includes small goods, fabric, etc. ) is expected to be worth $25 billion by the year 2012.. The quality of bamboo laminate varies between manufacturers and the maturity of the plant from which it was harvested (six years being considered the optimum); the sturdiest products fulfill their claims of being up to three times harder than  oak  hardwood, but others may be softer than standard hardwood. Bamboo intended for use in construction should be treated to resist insects and rot. Bamboo pavilion in the Shenzhen Biennale Bamboo has been used as reinforcement for concrete in those areas where it is plentiful, though dispute exists over its effectiveness in the various studies done on the subject. Bamboo does have the necessary strength to fulfill this function, but untreated bamboo will swell from the absorption of water from the concrete, causing it to crack. Several procedures must be followed to overcome this shortcoming. Several institutes, businesses, and universities are working on the bamboo as an ecological construction material. In the United States and France, it is possible to get houses made entirely of bamboo, which are earthquake and cyclone-resistant and internationally certified. In Bali, Indonesia, an international primary school, named the  Green School, is constructed entirely of bamboo, due to its beauty, and advantages as a sustainable resource. There are three  ISO  standards for bamboo as a construction material. In  Maharashtra, the bamboo groves and forests are called VeLuvana; the nameVeLu  for bamboo is most likely from Sanskrit, while  Vana  means forest. Furthermore, bamboo is also used to create flagpoles for  saffron-coloured,  Hindu  religious flags, which can be seen fluttering across India, especially  Bihar  and  Uttar Pradesh, as well as inGuyana  and  Suriname. Bamboo is used for the structural members of the  India pavilion  at  Expo 2010  in  Shanghai. The pavilion is the world’s largest bamboo dome; about 34 m in diameter, with bamboo beams/members overlaid with a ferro-cement slab, water proofing, copper plate, solar PV panels, a small windmill and live plants. A total of 30  km of bamboo was used. The dome is supported on 18-m-long steel piles and a series of steel ring beams. Textiles Because the fibers of bamboo are very short (less than 3mm), they are impossible to transform into yarn in a natural process. The usual process by which textiles labeled as being made of bamboo are produced uses only the rayon, that is being made out of 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. Retailers have sold both end products as bamboo fabric to cash in on bamboos current ecofriendly cachet; however, the Canadian  Competition Bureau  and the US  Federal Trade Commission,[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. Paper Bamboo fiber has been used to make  paper  in China since early times. A high quality hand-made paper is still produced in small quantities. Coarse bamboo paper is still used to make  spirit money  in many Chinese communities. Bamboo  pulps  are mainly produced in China,  Myanmar,  Thailand  and India and are used in  printing and writing papers. The most common bamboo species used for paper areDendrocalamus asper  and  Bamboo bluemanea. 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  softwoods  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 roduction. Musical instruments Bamboos natural hollow form makes it an obvious choice for many instruments, particularly wind and percussion. There are numerous types of  bamboo flute  made all over the world, such as the  dizi,  xiao,  shakuhachi,  palendag  and  jinghu. In India, it is a very popular and hi ghly respected musical instrument, available even to the poorest and the choice of many highly venerated maestros of classical music. It is known and revered above all as the divine flute forever associated with  Lord Krishna, who is always portrayed holding a  bansuri  in sculptures and paintings. Four of the instruments used in  Polynesia  for traditional  hula  are made of bamboo:  nose flute, rattle, stamping pipes and the  jaw harp. In Indonesia and the Philippines, bamboo has been used for making various kinds of musical instruments, the modern amplified string instrument, the  Chapman stick, is also constructed using bamboo. The  khene  is a mouth organ of Lao origin whose pipes, which are usually made of bamboo, are connected with a small, hollowed-out hardwood reservoir into which air is blown, creating a sound similar to that of the violin.