Have you ever noticed bamboo and wondered what that thing really is? Is it a tree? A grass? And why bamboo is so much in fame these days. What is all the fuss about? So let’s start from the basics and know more about Bamboo or Cane difference.
Do we really know what exactly bamboo is? How it is different from trees?
If we speak scientifically then bamboo is not a tree but a type of grass, But sometimes is it often classified as a tree. It comes in more than 1,200 different varieties, And about 100 of them are used for commercial purposes. Just like other grasses it grows from its roots. When you cut a bamboo it quickly regrows back from that area, Some species of bamboo can grow as fast as 3 feet or 1 meter per day, That’s why bamboo is the fastest growing plant on the Earth, It can grow as 30m or 10 stories building tall in just 1 month. Bamboo is said to release over 30% more oxygen into the atmosphere and absorbs more carbon dioxide compared to other plants.
How long bamboo has been living on Earth?
The bamboo we have today evolved from prehistoric grasses, Somewhere around forty million years ago, after the extinction of dinosaurs. Bamboo become one of the major food sources for Vegetarian animals and that brings bamboo from there to here. Bamboo grows everywhere in the world except those extremely cold and dry environments, Around 5000 years ago, Chinese people were the first to make everyday items from bamboo. From treehouses to cups they created almost everything from bamboo.
The very first firecrackers made in China were created out of bamboo. Bamboo is not a flammable material, it does however make a loud popping sound in a fire due to the air pocket between nodes.
Many often believe that bamboo is only grown in the Asian countries where pandas live but bamboo can grow in any region in the world. Mostly bamboo is found in warm and moist climates but it can also be found in cold mountain regions and high-clouded forests, Speaking of countries it is commonly found in China, Japan, India and other Asian countries. In the Asian region, Bamboo leaves are made into a delicious tea! It tastes similar to green tea and is comparable with nutritional benefits.
Bamboo is stronger than steel.
Unlike wood’s thick and dense structure, Bamboo is hollow and flexible which is why it is used to make furniture and other household stuff. When it comes to strength, Bamboo has given a tough fight to other building materials like concrete and steel, The average strength of bamboo is about 14,000 psi compared it with its concrete which is about 2,500 psi. Bamboo fibers can support more load than steel can without fracture when being stretched. So you can see how strong our green old bamboo is.
This one is for you to think. What does bamboo flowers look like?
Found anything? No?
Bamboo flowers blossom once in a human lifetime. Ok, you might not believe what you just read but yes after all the amazing growing speed of bamboo, Some species of bamboo are incredibly rare because they only produce flowers once in their entire lifetime while some of them produce flowers ones in every 80 to 100 years.
Bamboo is not just green.
Bamboo comes in many different shapes, sizes and colours! There is green, black, brown, gold, blue, white, purple, red, and even stripey!
Everyone knows panda loves eating bamboo, but how much?
Bamboo is an important source of food and shelter for a huge range of animals – including some of the most endangered species in the world. Giant panda eats around 40 kg of bamboo per day, Which is 99% of their diet and for this, They have dedicated 14 hours a day to just munching bamboo!!! To achieve this target they have evolved teeth and very strong jaw muscles. Their love for bamboo is so pure that they are known to eat up to 40 different bamboo species in the wild. The variety of bamboo species gives them food all year round as different species of bamboo grows at a different time of the year.
And it’s not just giant pandas who love bamboo there are other animals as well, Chimpanzees, Bamboo Lemurs, Red Pandas, Mountain Gorillas, Elephants, Golden Monkeys, and Bamboo Rats are some of the main animals whose main diet is bamboo.
Okay now we know about bamboo, So let’s move on to canes
When we talk about cane we are mostly talking about one specific type of cane which is called rattan. It is a plant from the palm family but it’s very different from typical palm plants. Its wood is solid and grows more like a soft vine which gets attached to the other trees. In the wild, Rattan plants grow up to hundreds of meters long climbing on the trees or spreading on the ground. After cutting down it can regrow in just 5-7 years which makes it one of the fastest-growing materials for crafts and furniture making.
Bamboo is hollow and cannot be bent but cane is solid and after stemming it can be bent into any shape. It is mostly grown in Asia and almost 80% of the world’s rattan comes from just one country Indonesia. rattan comes in more than 600 different varieties and from these more than 40 of these can be used for making furniture and other products.
Is there any relation between bamboo and cane?
We usually see them as close relatives but in reality bamboo and cane plants are as different as green chilly and capsicum. in short, some of the main key differences are that bamboo is hollow giant grass while cane is a solid strong vine.
Read more: SHOCKING FACTS ABOUT TREES
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