Bamboo is a group of woody perennial grasses in the true grass family Poaceae, which is a large family with over 10,000 species. In the tribe Bambuseae also known as bamboo, there are 91 genera and over 1,000 species. The size of bamboo varies from small annuals to giant timber bamboo. Bamboo evolved only 30 to 40 million years ago, after the demise of the dinosaurs. Bamboo is the fastest-growing woody plant in the world. It can grow up to 91–122 centimetres/day (3.8-5.0 centimetres/hr).

Bamboo species can be divided into clumpers and runners. Clumpers grow from the soil in a slowly expanding tuft. Runners send underground rhizomes to produce shoots several metres from the parent plant.

All Chinese names for bamboo contain the character “竹“. This character by itself simply means bamboo, however it enters into hundreds of other words and phrases. “Every day our written language reminds us of the antiquity of China’s partnership with bamboo.” (Dr. W. Y. Hsiung)

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