Bambusa balcooa

Bambusa balcooa
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Monocots
(unranked):	Commelinids
Order:	Poales
Family:	Poaceae
Genus:	Bambusa
Species:	B. balcooa
Binomial name
Bambusa balcooa Roxb.

Bambusa balcooa or the Balcooa bamboo is a clumping bamboo native to Indochina and the Indian subcontinent.^[1] It is popular with the Vietnamese as food, and can be used as a short-life timber for temporary constructions.

Bamboo can be of the "clumping" (sympodial) type, or the "running" (monopodial) type. The clumping bamboos, such as those in the Bambusa genus, create new plants by growing new shoots very near the base of existing plants, as opposed to the "running" types like those found in the Phyllostachys family which can often send "runners" or rhizomes out several meters before sprouting a new shoot. This makes the clumping variety become more dense over time, as it does not spread out very much. While the running types are generally considered invasive and difficult to confine and maintain, the clumping types like B. balcooa require very little effort to contain to a specific area. It can grow up to a height of 25 m, and a thickness of 15 cm.^[2]

B. balcooa has recently gained popularity in South Africa as the species of choice for commercial plantations. Although not native to this country, it is the most prominent 'giant' bamboo that has naturalized to local climate. After several years of research and promotion of the B. balcooa species by industry leaders such as Johan van Zyl, the South African government and other corporations such as ECDC have started to realize the true economic potential of this giant bamboo in agricultural and forestry sectors. Government tenders were awarded for trials and studies to determine the feasibility of large-scale cultivation of bamboo in South Africa, which are ongoing and show great promise.

References

1. Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
2. Bambusa balcooa, OzBamboo; Retrieved: 2007-12-19