In warm regions of the Earth, bamboo of various types is very widespread, and people have found many uses for it. This plant has been used since ancient times, and it has long occupied an important place in the cultures of different nations. It grows quickly, is stored in a felled form for a long time, and after proper processing – even longer … So in some places bamboo is now an important resource. Especially somewhere in remote provinces and just in the countryside.
In total, about 140 species of this plant now grow in the world. His closest relatives in terms of biology are cereals. Yes, bamboo is cereal. Bamboo is extremely fast growing. In a few months it can grow up to 30 m, while many trees take several years to do this. In regions with increased seismic activity, bamboo structures are widespread, since they are more stable than concrete ones. The record holder for the growth rate among all plants is a giant bamboo, growing in Myanmar and other countries of Southeast Asia. Young shoots of this plant can grow by 50-70 cm per day. Bamboo has very strong and at the same time light wood, so from ancient times it has been used for the construction of houses, bridges, rafts, the manufacture of weapons and musical instruments. The term “bamboo wood” is used quite often, although it is incorrect. What kind of wood can we talk about when in fact this plant belongs to herbs? Young shoots of some types of bamboo are eaten.
In An Lan, in China, there is the oldest bamboo suspension bridge in the world. It was built about 1700 years ago, and is still in operation. Its length reaches 300 meters. Tabashir is produced from certain species of this plant. This substance has various uses in pharmacology and medicine, for example, in the treatment of asthma. A fiber made from bamboo protects against ultraviolet radiation. 450 times less harmful rays penetrate through such a fabric than through cotton clothes. The main global suppliers of bamboo materials are Brazil, China, Kenya, Pakistan, Costa Rica and the Philippines. Together they produce more than 9 million tons annually. Panda, or bamboo bear, belongs to the class of predators, but feeds mainly on bamboo. In one day, an adult animal eats up to 30 kg of shoots. If bamboo plantations die, pandas face starvation. Bamboo only blooms once in a lifetime. The sight, of course, is beautiful, but it does not deliver much joy to the planters. The flowering process itself takes so much energy from the roots that most of the plants die. The easiest way to avoid flowering is to regularly prune the shoots. This is not dangerous for the plant; new sprouts soon appear on the saw cut.
The company “ASUS” launched the production of laptops, whose case consists of 85% of bamboo and 15% of plastic. Such a housing is characterized by high strength and the ability to absorb static electricity. In 1998, Costa Rica hosted the World Bamboo Congress. For this event, the French pilot Michelle Abadi made an unusual aircraft: a single biplane, the main building material for which was bamboo. The wingspan of the biplane is 9 meters, the device is capable of speeds up to 120 kilometers per hour. Not only bamboo were made only engine, fasteners and brakes. Most species of bamboo prefer to grow in warm and humid climates, but some of its other species can withstand severe frosts. It grows even at an altitude of 4 km above sea level. Incandescent filaments in bulbs invented by Tom Edison in the 19th century were made of carbonized bamboo. In ancient China, water pipes were made from bamboo trunks.
This plant helps prevent soil erosion and flooding due to its extensive and strong root system. Several thousand years ago, Chinese doctors made their finest bamboo shoots, medical needles, for which they were subjected to special treatment. In Vietnam, there is a unique open-air bamboo museum. It is rather a botanical garden in which more than half of the existing species of this plant grow. Bamboos of the same species always bloom at the same time, regardless of where they grow. The strength of some types of bamboo wood is about twice that of oak. In the USA at the end of the 19th century, it was bamboo that was widely used for the manufacture of bicycle frames.
