The Basics of Bamboo Plants
Do you have one of those Lucky Bamboo plants in your house and ever consider trying to get it to grow big enough to make some funky bamboo product from it? Think again? Lucky Bamboo is a simple houseplant that's a member of the Dracaena family, so it's not even technically bamboo. It might get away with being called a bamboo because bamboo is notoriously difficult with being classified.
Bamboo is technically a grass, and the American Bamboo Society estimates that up to two thousand varieties exist worldwide. From dwarf sizes that grow no larger than a foot to timber varieties that grow to over one hundred feet, this plant can grow in both tropical and temperate climates.
According to the American Bamboo Society, categories of bamboos are distinguished by their root systems. One type is referred to as a "clumper," due to the fact that it slowly branches off of the original planting. A second type is called a "runner," which, as its name implies, spreads out wildly. It can be an extremely invasive plant, according to the University of Maryland Home & Garden Information Center. They report that runners can quickly spread to one hundred feet from the mother plant in a short amount of time, so if planting a runner variety, one should bury a sturdy metal or concrete barrier at least three feet deep to prevent spreading. Still other bamboos are combinations of these two main types and have varying characteristics. Although there are exceptions, clumpers are usually more tropical bamboos, while runners are generally found in more temperate regions. Bamboo can even be grown in America as far north as New England.
Distinguishing types of bamboo plants by name may also be difficult. As Gib Cooper writes on the Society's website, plant names are usually determined by an international classification system to avoid confusion. However, this system is based on the flower feature of a plant, and bamboo can go as long as 120 years without flowerings. This prevents isolated botanists from being able to truly identify some bamboos.
Just as root systems of bamboo plants can differ, so do their usages by type. Although bamboo can be used for flooring, furniture, and even food, not all varieties are so multi-functional. For example, pandas feed off a few varieties of bamboo in the Fargesia genus, and these varieties have not been used commercially, according to the International Network for Bamboo and Rattan.