Bamboo

184 Pages·2013·8.37 MB·English

by  Susanne Lucas

bamboo
Reaktion’s Botanical series is the first of its kind, integrating
horticultural and botanical writing with a broader account
of the cultural and social impact of trees, plants and flowers.
Already Published
BambooSusanne Lucas
GeraniumKasia Boddy
LilyMarcia Reiss
OakPeter Young
PineLaura Mason
|ewFred Hageneder
Bamboo
y
Susanne Lucas
reaktion books
For my father, Frank Sheridan Lucas
For the friends who inspired me to be adventurous, Marie Dolores Ianni Holland,
Toni Grieb and Ned V. Jaquith
Published by
reaktion books ltd
33 Great Sutton Street
London ec1v 0dx, uk
www.reaktionbooks.co.uk
First published 2013
Copyright © Susanne Lucas 2013
All rights reserved
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval
system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic,
mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior
permission of the publishers
Printed and bound in China by C&C Offset Printing Co., Ltd
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
isbn 978 1 78023 201 0
Contents
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Introduction 7
one Distribution, Diversity and
Classification 27
twoHorticulture 45
threeThe Hand of Man 63
fourModern Potentials, Today and
Tomorrow 102
five The Environment 127
Timeline 153
Appendix i: Tribes and Subtribes of Bamboo 157
Appendix ii: Bamboo Gardens and Arboreta 160
References 162
Further Reading 171
Associations and Websites 173
Acknowledgements 175
Photo Acknowledgements 176
Index 178

Introduction
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B
amboo is thought to be the fastest growing woody plant
on earth; some species can grow more than 1 metre a day.
Hundreds of millions of people, animals and insects depend on
it. With thousands of uses, as food, fabric, paper, shelter and inspir -
ation, bamboo has traditionally contributed to the myriad physical
requirements and spiritual needs of mankind. As the Chinese poet
Su Dongpo wrote over 800 years ago, ‘A meal should have meat, but
a house must have bamboo. Without meat we become thin; without
bamboo, we lose serenity and culture itself.’
Throughout the ages, humans have utilized bamboo; it has been
cut, split, bent, dried, chopped, cooked, tied, woven, carved and craft-
ed to help us survive and thrive. This is still true today. It is estimat-
ed that bamboo-related industries provide income, food and housing
for over 2.5 billion people worldwide.1 As a sustainable resource,
bamboo may also provide potential solutions to the damaging impact
of human activities on the environment. Harvesting bamboo does
not kill the plant. Despite its woody appearance, bamboo is not a
tree – it is a grass.
As a grass, bamboo puts out new growth in the form of stems
known as ‘culms’. Once the culms are cut, they are referred to as
‘canes’. Bamboo culms grow to full size in a matter of a few weeks, tele-
scoping upwards. For several years the stems do not get any larger
opposite: The bold telescoping stems (referred to as ‘culms’)
of Phyllostachys atrovaginata.
7
Photograph by Maurice Vidal Portman of a man drinking from a bamboo
vessel (called Gob-da) in the Andaman Islands, 1890s.
The ubiquitous bamboo basket.