Bamboos are a diverse group of evergreen perennial flowering plants in the subfamily Bambusoideae of the grass family Poaceae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family. The origin of the word "bamboo" is uncertain, but it probably comes from the Dutch or Portuguese language, which originally borrowed it from Malay or Kannada. In bamboo, as in other grasses, the internodal regions of the stem are usually hollow and the vascular bundles in the cross-section are scattered throughout the stem instead of in a cylindrical arrangement. The dicotyledonous woody xylem is also absent. The absence of secondary growth wood causes the stems of monocots, including the palms and large bamboos, to be columnar rather than tapering. Bamboos include some of the fastest-growing plants in the world, due to a unique rhizome-dependent system. Certain species of bamboo can grow 910 mm (36 in) within a 24-hour period, at a rate of almost 40 mm (1+1⁄2 in) an hour (equivalent to 1 mm every 90 seconds). This rapid growth and tolerance for marginal land, make bamboo a good candidate for afforestation, carbon sequestration and climate change mitigation. Bamboo is versatile and has notable economic and cultural significance in South Asia, Southeast Asia, and East Asia, being used for building materials, as a food source, and as a raw product, and depicted often in arts, such as in bamboo paintings and bambooworking. Bamboo, like wood, is a natural composite material with a high strength-to-weight ratio useful for structures. Bamboo's strength-to-weight ratio is similar to timber, and its strength is generally similar to a strong softwood or hardwood timber.
In the courtyard, it is an indispensable plant that embellishes the rockery and waterside pavilions. The phoenix-tailed bamboo is widely planted by the Li River in Guilin. Anji Bamboo Sea, Shunan Bamboo Sea and Gannan Bamboo Sea are famous bamboo sea landscapes in China. Due to the rapid growth of bamboo, a large number of furniture and paper have recently been made from bamboo for environmental protection reasons. Bamboo can also be used to make handicrafts and musical instruments. Bamboo fibers are made by engineering methods, through physical and chemical action, and are used as textiles, such as towels and clothing. Bamboo wood is baked to make bamboo charcoal, which is used in many occasions, including removing environmental odors and special flavored foods. Bamboo charcoal is pulverized and activated activated carbon, which has good adsorption and purification effects, and is used in automobiles and households, as well as sewage treatment. It is also commonly used in the construction of scaffolding (building a shed), as a building material and as a daily necessities such as brooms, bamboo tables and bamboo chairs. Bamboo can also be used to make baskets, back baskets, vegetable baskets, mats, etc., which are common in rural areas. Bamboo has been widely used in home textiles, socks, underwear and other personal textile fields.
