IS A PROJECT OF THE NATIONAL CENTER FOR APPROPRIATE TECHNOLOGY
www.
attra.
ncat.
org
The bamboos are gaining increased attention as an alternative crop with multiple uses and
benefits.
These long-lived, woody-stemmed perennial grasses are usually evergreen...
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IS A PROJECT OF THE NATIONAL CENTER FOR APPROPRIATE TECHNOLOGY
www.
attra.
ncat.
org
The bamboos are gaining increased attention as an alternative crop with multiple uses and
benefits.
These long-lived, woody-stemmed perennial grasses are usually evergreen in climates
to which they are adapted; those of temperate regions grow a complete set of new leaves each
spring, the old ones falling away as the new ones develop (1).
Worldwide, approximately 87
genera and over 1,500 species of bamboo exist (2), with roughly 100 species comprising those of
economical importance.
Two species of bamboo are native to the United States.
Arundinaria gigantea—commonly known
as giant bamboo, canebrake, or rivercane—occurs along rivers and streams in southern Ohio,
Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, Oklahoma, and other states to the south.
A.
tecta—switch cane—is a
smaller form confined to the Atlantic and Gulf coastal regions from Maryland southward.
Bamboos are also native to Central America, South Ameri
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