Bambusa vulgaris, also known as Bambu Ampel (Indonesian), Buloh Aur, Buloh Pau, Buloh Minyak, Aur Beting (Malay), Mai-Luang, Phai-Luang (Thai), Daisan-Chiku (Japanese), Murangi (Kikiyu), Gemeiner Bambus (German), Bambou de Chine (French), Bambu Vulgar (Portuguese) , Mwanzi (Swahili), Common Bamboo, Golden Bamboo or Buddha’s Belly Bamboo. is an open clump type bamboo

Bamboo

Bamboo is a group of perennial evergreens in the true grass family Poaceae, subfamily Bambusoideae, tribe Bambuseae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family....

 species with lemon yellow culms in green stripes and dark green leaves. Its densely tufted culms grow 10-20 meters long and 4-10 centimeters thick. It is one of largest species of bamboo, and is the most easily recognized species as well.

Origin and distribution

Origin of the species unknown, though it is believed to have originated in either tropical Asia, southern China

China

Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...

 or Madagascar

Madagascar

The Republic of Madagascar is an island country located in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa...

.

Common bamboo is the most widely grown bamboo throughout the tropics and subtropics. Mostly known from only cultivation, spontaneous, escaped and naturalized

Naturalisation (biology)

In biology, naturalisation is any process by which a non-native organism spreads into the wild and its reproduction is sufficient to maintain its population. Such populations are said to be naturalised....

 populations exist throughout the tropics and sub-tropics in and outside Asia. B. vulgaris is widely cultivated in East

East Asia

East Asia or Eastern Asia is a subregion of Asia that can be defined in either geographical or cultural terms...

, Southeast

Southeast Asia

Southeast Asia, South-East Asia, South East Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India, west of New Guinea and north of Australia. The region lies on the intersection of geological plates, with heavy seismic...

 and South Asia

South Asia

South Asia, also known as Southern Asia, is the southern region of the Asian continent, which comprises the sub-Himalayan countries and, for some authorities , also includes the adjoining countries to the west and the east...

, as well as tropical Africa including Madagascar. It is highly concentrated in the Indo-Malayan rainforest

Rainforest

Rainforests are forests characterized by high rainfall, with definitions based on a minimum normal annual rainfall of 1750-2000 mm...

s. The species is one of the most successful bamboo species in Pakistan

Pakistan

Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...

, Tanzania

Tanzania

The United Republic of Tanzania is a country in East Africa bordered by Kenya and Uganda to the north, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west, and Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique to the south. The country's eastern borders lie on the Indian Ocean.Tanzania is a state...

 and Brazil

Brazil

Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...

.

Popular as a hothouse plant by 1700s, it was one of early bamboo species introduced into Europe. It is believed to have been introduced to Hawaii in the times of Captain James Cook

James Cook

Captain James Cook, FRS, RN was a British explorer, navigator and cartographer who ultimately rose to the rank of captain in the Royal Navy...

 (late 18th century), and is the most popular ornamental plant there. B. Vulgaris is widely cultivated in the USA

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 and Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...

, apparently since introduction by Spaniards in 1840. It may have been the first foreign species introduced into the United States.

Climate and soil

B. vulgaris grows mostly on river banks, road sides, wastelands and open ground generally in the low altitudes. It is a preferred species for erosion control

Erosion control

Erosion control is the practice of preventing or controlling wind or water erosion in agriculture, land development and construction. Effective erosion controls are important techniques in preventing water pollution and soil loss.-Introduction:...

. In cultivation it grows best under humid conditions, but can also tolerate unfavorable conditions including low temperatures and a wide range of soil types. Though drought resistant, B. vulgaris grows more vigorously on moist soils, and in extreme draughts common bamboo might defoliate completely. It can tolerate frost up to -3° C, and can grow on ground up to 1500m, though in higher altitudes stems grow shorter and thinner. Farmers prefer to buy it rather than planting it, as it harms the soil.

Cultivation

Flowering is not common, and there are no seeds. At the interval of several decades the whole population of an area bloom at once, and individual stems bear a large number of flowers. Fruits are rare due to low pollen viability caused by irregular meiosis

Meiosis

Meiosis is a special type of cell division necessary for sexual reproduction. The cells produced by meiosis are gametes or spores. The animals' gametes are called sperm and egg cells....

. When a stem dies, the clump usually survives. Vegetation propagates through culm cuttings, rhizome

Rhizome

In botany and dendrology, a rhizome is a characteristically horizontal stem of a plant that is usually found underground, often sending out roots and shoots from its nodes...

 planting, branch cutting, layering and marcotting. Its rhizomes extend up to 80 cm before turning upward to create open fast-spreading clumps. The easiest and most practised cultivation method is culm or branch cutting. In the Philippines, best results were obtained from one-node cuttings from the lower parts of six-month old culms. The easy propagation of B. vulgaris explains its seemingly wild occurrence, as clumps may establish from culms used to make fencing or posts.

Management

Though not suited for small yards as it grows in large clumps, young plants of Golden Bamboo can be grown in large containers. Golden bamboo grows well in full sunlight or partial shade. Protection is important as animals often graze on young shoots. In Tanzania, management of B. vulgaris cultivation entails clearing of the ground around clumps.

Threats

There are two major threats to the species. Small Bamboo Borers (Dinoderus spp.) as adults bore stems in India, China, Philippines, Australia and Japan. Bamboo Weevil (Cyrtotrachelus longimanus) destroy shoots during the larval stage

Larvae

In Roman mythology, lemures were shades or spirits of the restless or malignant dead, and are probably cognate with an extended sense of larvae as disturbing or frightening...

 in South China. Other threats include leaf blight (Cercospora sp.), basal culm rot (Fusarium sp.), culm sheath rot (Glomerella cingulata

Glomerella cingulata

Glomerella cingulata is a plant pathogenic fungus that causes disease on many different hosts including quince and apple bitter rot and anthracnose on many fruit and vegetable species. Glomerella cingulata is the sexual stage while the asexual stage is called Colletotrichum gloeosporioides.-...

), leaf rust (Kweilingia divina) and leaf spots (Dactylaria sp.). In Bangladesh, Sarocladium oryzae

Sarocladium oryzae

Sarocladium oryzae is a plant pathogen causing the sheath rot disease of rice. In culture it produces 0.3–0.627 micrograms of helvolic acid and 0.9–4.8 micrograms of cerulenin per milliliter of culture medium. The level of helvolic acid correlated with a higher incidence of sheath rot...

 carries deadly bamboo blight for the common bamboo.

Uses

B. vulgaris has a wide variety of uses, including the stems used as fuel and the leaves used as fodder, though a large amount of ingestion of leaves is known to cause neurological disorder among horses. The worldwide production and trade of B. vulgaris is considerable, though no statistics is available.

Ornamental

It is widely used as an ornamental plant, and is very popular as that. It often is planted as fences and border hedges. It is also planted a measure for erosion control

Erosion control

Erosion control is the practice of preventing or controlling wind or water erosion in agriculture, land development and construction. Effective erosion controls are important techniques in preventing water pollution and soil loss.-Introduction:...

.

Construction

The stems or culms of B. vulgaris are used for fencing and construction, especially of small temporary shelters, including flooring, roof tiles, panelling, and walls made wither with culms or split stems. The culm is used to make many parts of boats including masts, rudders, outriggers, boating poles. It also is used to make furniture, basketry, wind-breakers, flutes, fishing rods, tool handles, stakes, weapons, bows for fishing nets, smoking pipes, irrigation pipes, distillation pipes, and more.

It is used as raw material for paper pulp, especially in India. Studies have shown that paper made from B. vulgaris has exceptional tear strength

Tearing

Tearing is the act of breaking apart a material by force, without the aid of a cutting tool. A tear in a piece of paper, fabric, or some other similar object may be the result of the intentional effort with one's bare hands, or be accidental...

, comparable to paper made of softwood

Softwood

The term softwood is used to describe wood from trees that are known as gymnosperms.Conifers are an example. It may also be used to describe trees, which tend to be evergreen, notable exceptions being bald cypress and the larches....

. It can also be used to make particle boards and flexible packaging grade paper.

Food

Young shoot of the plant, cooked or pickled, is edible and is eaten throughout Asia, though the bitter shoots rarely used as a vegetable. Shoots remain buttercup yellow after cooking. Decoction

Decoction

Decoction is a method of extraction, by boiling, of dissolved chemicals, or herbal or plant material, which may include stems, roots, bark and rhizomes. Decoction involves first mashing, and then boiling in water to extract oils, volatile organic compounds, and other chemical substances...

 of the growing tips B. vulgars is mixed with Job's Tears

Job's Tears

Job's Tears , Coixseed, Tear Grass, adlay, or adlai, is a tall grain-bearing tropical plant of the family Poaceae native to Southeast Asia but elsewhere cultivated in gardens as an annual. It has been naturalized in the southern United States and the New World tropics...

 (Coix lacryma-jobi) to make a refreshing drink in Mauritius

Mauritius

Mauritius , officially the Republic of Mauritius is an island nation off the southeast coast of the African continent in the southwest Indian Ocean, about east of Madagascar...

. Shoots are tender, whitish pink in color, and have a fair canning

Canning

Canning is a method of preserving food in which the food contents are processed and sealed in an airtight container. Canning provides a typical shelf life ranging from one to five years, although under specific circumstances a freeze-dried canned product, such as canned, dried lentils, can last as...

 quality.

100 grams of young shoots of green stem cultivars have 90 grams of water, 2.6 grams of protein, 4.1 grams of fat, 0.4 grams of carbohydrates, 1.1 grams of fibre, 22.8 micrograms of calcium, 37 micrograms of phosphorus, 1.1 micrograms of iron and 3.1 micrograms of ascorbic acid. 100 grams of young shoots of yellow stem cultivars have 88 grams of water, 1.8 grams of protein, 7.2 grams of fat, 0.0 grams of carbohydrates, 1.2 grams of fibre, 28.6 micrograms of calcium, 27.5 micrograms of phosphorus, 1.4 micrograms of iron and 0.0 micrograms of ascorbic acid.

Medicine

Many Orientals think it has medicinal values. Medieval alchemists in Europe extracted tabachir, a poison anti-dote from the species. Javanese people use water preserved in Golden Bamboo tubes as cure for jaundice

Jaundice

Jaundice is a yellowish pigmentation of the skin, the conjunctival membranes over the sclerae , and other mucous membranes caused by hyperbilirubinemia . This hyperbilirubinemia subsequently causes increased levels of bilirubin in the extracellular fluid...

. In Nigeria, a drink of macerated leaves is taken against sexually transmitted disease

Sexually transmitted disease

Sexually transmitted disease , also known as a sexually transmitted infection or venereal disease , is an illness that has a significant probability of transmission between humans by means of human sexual behavior, including vaginal intercourse, oral sex, and anal sex...

s, and in Congo, leaves are used as part of treatment against measles

Measles

Measles, also known as rubeola or morbilli, is an infection of the respiratory system caused by a virus, specifically a paramyxovirus of the genus Morbillivirus. Morbilliviruses, like other paramyxoviruses, are enveloped, single-stranded, negative-sense RNA viruses...

. A chloroform extract of leaves is active against Mycobacterium tuberculosis

Mycobacterium tuberculosis

Mycobacterium tuberculosis is a pathogenic bacterial species in the genus Mycobacterium and the causative agent of most cases of tuberculosis . First discovered in 1882 by Robert Koch, M...

.

Disadvantages

Working and machining

Machining

Conventional machining is a form of subtractive manufacturing, in which a collection of material-working processes utilizing power-driven machine tools, such as saws, lathes, milling machines, and drill presses, are used with a sharp cutting tool to physical remove material to achieve a desired...

 properties of the stems are poor, as they are not straight, not easy to split, and not flexible. But, they are thick walled and initially strong. Because of high carbohydrate content stems are susceptible to attacks from fungi and insects like powderpost beetle

Powderpost beetle

Powderpost beetles are a group of seventy species of woodboring beetles classified in the insect subfamily Lyctinae. These beetles, along with spider beetles, death watch beetles, common furniture beetles, skin beetles, and others, make up the superfamily Bostrichoidea. While most woodborers have a...

. Protection from biological threats is essential for long time use.

Varieties

With rich golden yellow culms striped in green, sometimes in very thin lines Aureo-Variegata is the most common variety of B. vulgaris.

Other common varieties

• Striata (Tricolor): Also known as Buloh Gadling, Aur Gadling, Buloh Kuning (Malay), Bambu Kuning (Indonesian), Kinshi-Chiku (Japanese) or Golden Common Bamboo. It is smaller in size with bright yellow internodes and random markings with longitudinal stripes in light and deep green. It is used as ornamental solitary or as border hedge. Its shoots boiled in water is sometimes used for medicinal qualities. Cultivated around the world it is generally found in East, South East and South Asia.

• Wamin: Also known as Wa-Min (Burmese), Bambu Blenduk (Indonesian) or Wamin Bamboo. It is smaller in size with short and flattened internodes. Likely to have originated in South China, Wamin Bamboo has spread beyond East, South East and South Asia to be cultivated in the USA and Europe. Basally inflated internodes give it a unique appearance.

• Vittata: Grows up to 12 meters tall. Stripped like barcode
  Barcode
  A barcode is an optical machine-readable representation of data, which shows data about the object to which it attaches. Originally barcodes represented data by varying the widths and spacings of parallel lines, and may be referred to as linear or 1 dimensional . Later they evolved into rectangles,...
  
  s in green. It is the most popular variety as an ornamental plant, also considered to be very beautiful.

Less common varieties

• Kimmei: Also known as Kimmei-Daisan-Chiku in Japanese. It is mostly cultivated in Japan.

• Maculata: Green culms mottled with black, turning mostly black with aging.

• Wamin Striata: Grows up to 5 meters tall. Light green striped in dark green, with swollen lower internodes.