What is Bamboo?
{{Automatic taxobox |name = Bamboo |taxon = Bambusoideae | image = BambooKyoto.jpg | image_width = 240px | image_caption = Bamboo forest in [[Kyoto]], [[Japan]] |diversity = >1,462 ([http://resource.inbar.int/download/showdownload.php?lang=cn&id=167759 known species]) species in 115 genera |diversity_ref = |subdivision_ranks = [[Tribe (biology)|Tribe]]s}} '''Bamboo''' is a name for over 1,400 [[species]] of giant [[grass]]es in 115 different [[genus|genera]].<ref>Farrelly, David 1984. ''The Book of Bamboo''. Sierra Club Books. ISBN 978-0-87156-825-0</ref><ref>Soreng, Robert J.; Peterson, Paul M.; Romaschenko, Konstantin; Davidse, Gerrit; Teisher, Jordan K.; Clark, Lynn G.; Barberá, Patricia; Gillespie, Lynn J.; Zuloaga, Fernando O. 2017. A worldwide phylogenetic classification of the Poaceae (Gramineae) II: An update and a comparison of two 2015 classifications. ''Journal of Systematics and Evolution''. '''55''' (4): 259–290. [[doi:10.1111/jse.12262]]. ISSN 1674-4918</ref> All bamboos have [[wood]]-like stems. Bamboo mainly grows in [[Africa]], [[Americas|America]] and in [[Asia]] but can easily grow in [[Europe]]. Bamboo grows in clumps (although [[Stolon|running]] varieties exist). The runners can be up to 40 metres (130 feet). David Farrelly, in his book ''The Book of Bamboo'', says that bamboo has been measured to grow 1.21 meters (47.6 inches) in a 24-hour period. However, most bamboos (used for gardening) will grow more like 3 cm to 5 cm (1-2 inches) a day. Almost all species of bamboo have hollow stems divided into nodes or joints. The stem can be up to 30 cm (a foot) in [[diameter]]. Each of the nodes has one side [[Budding|bud]]. Not all of those buds develop into branches, but some do. This makes bamboo one of the few grasses that have a branch structure. Bamboo rarely flowers. Some species only flower once, and then die off. The distance of two joints in a bamboo is the basis of a traditional Japanese [[unit of measurement]], ''shaku''. == Uses == Bamboo is used to make lots of things and is a [[