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Bambusoideae - Bamboos
The bamboos are a subfamily (Bambusoideae) of flowering perennial evergreen plants in the grass family Poaceae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family. In bamboo, the internodal regions of the stem are usually hollow and the vascular bundles in the cross section are scattered throughout the stem instead of in a cylindrical arrangement. Bamboos include some of the fastest-growing plants in the world.
The word bamboo comes from the Kannada term bambu, which was introduced to English through Indonesian and Malay.
Description
Bamboos include some of the fastest-growing plants in the world, due to a unique rhizome-dependent system. Certain species of bamboo can grow 91 cm (3 ft) within a 24-hour period, at a rate of almost 4 cm (1.5 in) an hour (a growth around 1 mm every 90 seconds, or one inch every 40 minutes). Bamboos are of notable economic and cultural significance in South Asia, Southeast Asia and East Asia, being used for building materials, as a food source, and as a versatile raw product. Bamboo has a higher specific compressive strength than wood, brick, or concrete and a specific tensile strength that rivals steel.
Uses
- In Indonesia, they are sliced thin and then boiled with santan (thick coconut milk) and spices to make a dish called gulai rebung.
- Pickled bamboo shoots (Nepali: तामा tama) are cooked with black-eyed beans as a delicacy food in Nepal.
- Fresh bamboo shoots are sliced and pickled with mustard seeds and turmeric and kept in glass jar in direct sunlight for the best taste.
- In Sambalpur, India, the tender shoots are grated into juliennes and fermented to prepare kardi.
- In addition, bamboo is frequently used for cooking utensils within many cultures, and is used in the manufacture of chopsticks.
- Bamboo is used in traditional Chinese medicine for treating infections and healing.
- In northern Indian state of Assam, the fermented bamboo paste known as khorisa is known locally as a folk remedy for the treatment of impotence, infertility, and menstrual pains.
