The importance of bamboo to the world
SOMETIMES we forget the incredible importance of bamboo in our daily lives. During early civilisations, bamboo contributed greatly to rural life – it played a role in many aspects. From being the structural material for houses, to serving as kitchen utensils and also to make furniture, bamboo played an integral part in many areas. In ancient times, bamboo was also used for writing, prior to the invention of paper in China.
Bamboo was also used for handicrafts and even for firewood when other sources could not be found.
Bamboo has a higher specific compressive strength than wood, brick, or even concrete and a specific tensile strength that rivals steel! That is why bamboo is used for scaffolding in places such as Hong Kong for even multi-storey buildings.
The Dayak community too has a tradition of cutting bamboo for building needs. The bamboo is raised up or immersed in water to allow its sugar content to leach out. Some also char the ends in flames to reduce cracking and pest attacks.
Bamboo is also the staple diet of pandas in China and Nepal, and lemurs in Madagascar, while gorillas in Africa also feed on bamboo.
Through new technologies, fine fibres have been made from bamboo for clothing. White bamboo charcoal is processed for medical uses. The possibilities seem endless as new technologies are developed. Indeed, human civilisation owes a lot to bamboo. Background Bamboo is an evergreen perennial flowering plant from the subfamily called Bambusodae, which comes from the grass family Poaceae.
Its stem is divided by internodes at various lengths according to the species, usually about one to one and a half feet long. Internal vascular bundles are scattered across the nodal area and the stem is otherwise hollow.
Bamboos are known to be the fastest growing plants in the world at a rate of 36 inches per day. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family and are notable in terms of economic and cultural importance in Southeast Asia. There are over 1,400 species of globally. Ecology Bamboos have two growth patterns known as clumping and running. The clumping (sympodial) grows slowly and does not spread quickly. The running (monopodial) bamboos can spread widely underground making it very aggressive in terms of expansion. It is a headache to control its spread into adjacent areas not intended for bamboo.
The other problem soon will be how to destroy the bamboo clumps. I have had a bad experience trying to cut down an unwanted thick clump here. After three days, my two workers still could not complete the job! Bamboos seldom and unpredictably flower. Once flowering occurs, the plant declines and dies entirely. The timeframe to flower may take as long as 65 years or more.
The whole culm of bamboos would all flower – called mass flowering or gregarious flowering. Even if we take one from this cohort, it will also flower regardless of being in another location. There is still mystery surrounding what triggers the flowering mechanism as awakening the ‘alarm clock’ does not seem to be due to environmental factors. Landscape favourites Sarawak folk tend to love including bamboo in their landscape design. Preferred are those with fine leaves and non-invasive clumps. There is a Javanese variety that costs around RM100 for one stand. It is a good variety to grow in gardens as it clumps together without spreading out much. Examples of this can be seen near BDC and RH Plaza in Kuching.
Do note that lucky bamboos are actually ornamental plants in an unrelated family called Dracaena sanderiana, which can curl around and are slow growers mainly imported from China. Cultivation of bamboo by cutting is a regular practice by obtaining new plants as divisions. Commercial timber bamboos are harvested from wild and cultivated stands of the larger species – Phyllostachys – for various uses. These are harvested when the culms reach their greatest strength and the sugar content in the sap is the lowest to prevent pest attacks. Culinary uses Bamboo shoots are eaten in most parts of the world. Young bamboo shoots are eaten as vegetables. Preserved bamboo shoots are served as a festive dish in Chinese culture. In many Asian cuisines, meat and fish are also cooked hollow bamboo to give the dishes a distinctive taste.
Do remember that bamboo shoots contain a toxin called taxiphyllin, which is a cyanogenic glycoside that produces cyanide in the gut. Proper processing is necessary to make them edible.
New shoots should be taken when photosynthesis is at its peak, as the highest level of sugar will be present in the sap. Thus, harvesting at dusk is best.
Hopefully you have a newfound appreciation for bamboo. Do send me an email if you have questions, comments, or suggestions.
Happy gardening.