How many types of bamboo are there?
Bamboo is a kind of plant belonging to Poaceae bambusadea. There are about 150 genera and 1225 species of bamboo in the world; The bamboo forest covers an area of 14 million hectares. Widely distributed in the tropical, subtropical, and warm temperate regions of the Earth between 46o north latitude and 47o south latitude. But it is mainly distributed in the vast area between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Cancer. Geographically speaking, indigenous bamboo species borrowed from the Fourth Glacier can be found on all continents except for the European continent. The types of bamboo can be divided into three types based on the growth of the bamboo rod and whip: scattered type, clustered type, and mixed type. Scattered bamboo species include purple bamboo, square bamboo, moso bamboo, henon bamboo, etc; There are clustered types of bamboo such as Fo Du Zhu, Feng Huang Zhu, and Qing Pi Zhu; And mixed growth types include tea bamboo and bitter bamboo. There are about 1200 types of bamboo, with over 250 species in China.
The most common types of bamboo in China are:
1. Sinocalamus affinis
It is a typical representative of clustered bamboo, tall, with a long tube and thick leaves. Cizhu is the main bamboo species of Qingshen, widely distributed in various provinces in southwestern China. The main trunk is 5-10 meters high, with a slender, curved top that curves and hangs like a fishing line, measuring 3-6 centimeters in thickness. The culm can be used for weaving bamboo ware and building materials, as well as for flooring, furniture and other products. The 2-3 year old Cizhu is particularly suitable for producing Bamboo textile textiles and bamboo pulp paper products. At present, China's Bamboo textile and bamboo pulp are mainly produced in Sichuan and Guizhou. Cizhu is also used for treating tuberculosis, vomiting blood, and making bamboo woven handicrafts.
2. Arrow bamboo
Widely distributed from Foping on the southern slope of the Qinling Mountains to Nanping, Pingwu, Beichuan, Baoxing on the northern boundary of the Sichuan Basin, and finally to southern Sichuan Basin, Leibo is distributed in an arc in the mountains on the western edge of the Sichuan Basin, growing on the edge of coniferous forests at an altitude of 2000-2800m. The forest area of arrow bamboo is quite large, with abundant reserves and multiple uses, making it the main food source for the giant panda (a national first-class protected animal in China).
3. Single bamboo
Commonly known as "Kuci" in the folk, it is the high-quality Cizhu with the longest tube (about one meter long) in the genus Cizhu. Each twig has 4-8 leaves, with linear lanceolate leaves, 20cm in length and 2cm in width. The texture is relatively thin, and the back surface is hairless or sparsely hirsute. Produced in Guangdong and introduced in Guangxi. Planted on the slopes, courtyards, roads, and overpasses of gardens.
Bamboo is delicate in texture and has strong fiber toughness. It can be made into bamboo strips and silk that are as thin as cicada wings and as thin as hair, and woven into exquisite bamboo weaving handicrafts that resemble silk or silk.
4. Oligostachyum lubricum
The cluster type is named after the growth of bamboo shoots throughout the year. A species of bamboo in the genus Cizhu, with a stem height of 5 meters. Its biggest characteristic is that the stem is thick and straight, weighing dozens of pounds per stem. It grows fastest, has the best material, has the most uses, has the greatest economic value, and has the largest planting area. The fibers are delicate, reproduce and grow quickly, and are also good materials for papermaking, with great economic value.
5. Longevity bamboo
The bamboo tastes sweet and more delicious than moso bamboo; The poles are used for making summer beds, bamboo chairs, grey Flat noodles, steamers and bamboo curtains; The rod can be used to make a firewood rake, and the branch can be used as a broom.
6. Dendrocalamus Sinicus
The world's largest bamboo, produced in the Yunnan region of China, can be used by locals to make buckets or large utensils. Some professionals say it's Jin Lei Bamboo.
7. Mottled bamboo
Also known as Xiangfei Bamboo, it is a loose growing type with a tall and straight stem, a large diameter, and a hard texture. There are brown spots on the surface of the bamboo, which is said to be formed by the tears shed by the two daughters of Emperor Yao, hence the name "spotted bamboo". This type of bamboo is commonly used as building materials and can also be woven into strips for weaving purposes. The ancient rope used to pull boats was often woven from this bamboo strip. Its characteristic is that water is not easy to corrode it, it is lightweight and has strong pulling force. Mainly produced in the Xiangshui River basin of Hunan.
8. Phyllostachys pubescens
Nan bamboo, also known as Mao bamboo, is a typical representative of scattered bamboo, with tall, straight, and hard stems. Bamboo has a diameter of about 20 centimeters and is a good material for construction. It is now also used to make bamboo pulp, which is mainly used as a raw material for producing paper and plastic products. Its bamboo shoots can also be made into delicious dishes, known as "Yunan slices". It is abundant in Changning, Sichuan, Chishui, Guizhou, Jiangxi, Zhejiang, and other places.