How to propagate Selaginella uncinata? Asexual cuttings are the simplest, with steps included
Selaginella uncinata grows quickly and is highly adaptable. Not only are its care techniques simple, but it is also relatively easy to propagate. As long as there is a relatively fertile and healthy substrate, lay the stems flat on top of it and keep the soil moist, and you can propagate a large patch of Selaginella uncinata. So how do you propagate Selaginella uncinata? The editor will tell you the propagation methods for Selaginella uncinata.
How to propagate Selaginella uncinata

When propagating Selaginella uncinata, gardening enthusiasts usually use asexual cuttings, because they are simple to perform and easy to keep alive, and have the lowest requirements for facilities and technique. In addition, some enthusiasts use division, but the workload is greater than with cuttings. Its advantage, however, is that the plants produced after propagation are of better quality.
I. Cutting propagation of Selaginella uncinata
1. When to take cuttings
Generally speaking, Selaginella uncinata is chosen for cuttings in spring, because this can be combined with pruning, and the stems cut from the plant can be used for cuttings, avoiding waste. Of course, in the south, autumn cuttings can also be chosen, as long as the climate is suitable.
2. Cutting method for Selaginella uncinata
When using cuttings, how do you propagate Selaginella uncinata? From the cut stems, choose relatively healthy and thick ones, cut stem branches about 10 cm long, and use asexual cuttings. The method is to lay the stem branches flat on the substrate. There is no need to bury them in soil; simply spray water every day to keep the soil moist, and they will easily survive.
If you want the cuttings to survive more easily after propagation, you can also insert the branches into a moist sand bed, then water thoroughly. After that, observe the humidity and soil moisture, keeping humidity above 50%. After 2-3 weeks they will root, and then follow the cultivation methods for Selaginella uncinata for care and management. After 2-3 months they can become lush and leafy.
II. Division propagation of Selaginella uncinata
1. Time for division
Division is a relatively commonly used propagation method for Selaginella uncinata, because division requires removing Selaginella uncinata from the flowerpot and cutting the plant apart from the roots, so the time is often chosen in March-April. It can also be combined with repotting; while propagating Selaginella uncinata by division, the potting soil is also replaced at the same time, which can save some care work.
2. Division method for Selaginella uncinata
Remove the plant with soil from the flowerpot, slowly clean away the soil around the roots, then use a tool to separate the mother plant, and plant the daughter plants separately in prepared flowerpots. This technique is very similar to potting up, except that you must be careful to protect the roots when dividing.
After planting, keep the soil moist. Do not place it where sunlight can reach it; instead, keep it in a shady place. Spray some water on the leaf surface from time to time. After half a month, you can begin fertilizing, preferably with dilute fertilizer water. Once the young plants grow new leaves, they can be managed normally.
Precautions for propagating Selaginella uncinata
1. Strengthen care and management before propagation. The health of the plant determines whether the propagated Selaginella uncinata will be healthy, because the physical condition of the mother plant determines the health of the offspring. Therefore, before propagation, care and management can be strengthened, with scientific fertilization and watering, so that Selaginella uncinata grows well in February-March, which helps propagation.
2. After propagation, pay attention to humidity and temperature. Although the survival rate of Selaginella uncinata propagation is very high, you must pay attention to changes in humidity and temperature. Keeping the temperature at 20 degrees can let it root quickly, and frequent spraying can ensure the air is not too dry.
Cultivation methods for Selaginella uncinata: high air humidity is needed
Today, wed114 editor brings you the cultivation methods for Selaginella uncinata. Selaginella uncinata has stems that creep along the ground, are extremely fine and soft, often produce adventitious roots at branching points, and are much branched. Because the stems and branches are creeping, growing it in a hanging pot can also show its soft, trailing beauty.
Cultivation methods for Selaginella uncinata: Introduction to Selaginella uncinata
Selaginella uncinata, also known as: Longxu, Lancao, Jianbai, Landibai, Dibaiye, Shenjiaocao, Lurongcao, Lanpishe. Category: Selaginellaceae, Selaginella genus, perennial herb.
Stems creep along the ground, extremely fine and soft, often producing adventitious roots at branching points, much branched. Small leaves are ovate; sporophylls are ovate-triangular. The leaf color is blue-green. Its main stem is slender and brownish-yellow, and the lateral branches bear fine scale-like leaflets. Its fronds are fine and dense and emit a sapphire-like luster.
Because the stems and branches are creeping, growing it in a hanging pot can also show its soft, trailing beauty. It can also be planted in wet areas beside water features. Selaginella uncinata has an elegant posture, and its blue-green fluorescence is pleasing to the eye. In the south it is an excellent groundcover plant, and it is also suitable for potted ornamental use in the north. Planting it in patches in planting troughs gives an even better effect, and it is also an ideal material for covering the surface of orchid pots.
Distributed in Zhejiang, Fujian, Taiwan, China, Guangdong Hanmihdun, Guangxi, Hunan, Guizhou, Yunnan, Sichuan and other provinces and regions. Endemic to China; also cultivated in other countries.
Cultivation methods for Selaginella uncinata: Propagation methods
Asexual cuttings are suitable for artificial propagation. Cuttings of Selaginella uncinata are very simple and easy to keep alive. As long as you choose a shady, damp place (artificial shading is also acceptable), keep the soil often moist, cut stem branches of Selaginella uncinata about 10 cm long, and lay them flat on the damp ground. There is no need to bury them in soil; simply spray water on them, and before long they will root and survive. Once established and alive, extensive management is enough. The only requirement is slightly higher for water; it is better wet than dry, and after 2-3 months it will grow luxuriantly.
Cultivation methods for Selaginella uncinata: Planting requirements
Soil: weakly acidic or acidic soil. The potting soil should be loose, permeable and rich in humus. It can be prepared by mixing equal amounts of leaf mold or peat, loam and plain sand;
Water: It likes a moist soil environment and cannot tolerate drought. Water regularly every day, and often use a sprayer to spray water vapor to maintain leaf surface humidity, which helps it grow more vigorously. In winter, reduce watering and keep it only slightly moist.
Fertilization: During the growing season, fertilize once every half month, and pay attention to the balance of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. To avoid excessive vine growth, control the application of nitrogen fertilizer. Stop topdressing fertilizer in winter.
Temperature: It likes warmth and grows well at around 20°C, with an overwintering temperature of 5°C. The ideal suitable growth temperature is 10—15°C at night and 21-26°C during the day;
Light: It likes semi-shade. In midsummer, pay attention to shading. It must not be exposed to the sun, otherwise the plant is likely to scorch and die.
Pruning: In spring, prune the plant once along with repotting, cutting off aged vines and shortening excessively long branches.
Potting and repotting: For planting, choose flowerpots with a diameter of 15-20 cm, planting 5-7 seedlings per pot. It likes fertile, loose, well-drained sandy loam. The substrate can be prepared from materials such as leaf mold, garden soil and rice husk ash or coarse sand. For potted plants, repot every spring when the root system fills the pot.
Main values of Selaginella uncinata
1. Ornamental value
Selaginella uncinata has a peculiar plant form, with fronds like cloud patterns, evergreen in all four seasons, and a blue-green fluorescence. It is elegant and beautiful, a small foliage plant, and potted plants are suitable for display on desks, windowsills and other places.
Selaginella uncinata is suitable for decorating family rooms, greening and beautifying. It is suitable for potted ornamental display in homes and rooms. As a small potted shade-loving foliage plant, Selaginella uncinata has green branches and leaves like pieces of green cloud, layer upon layer of emerald, with fine branches densely bearing small leaves like green scales. Placed on a desk, tea table, or on a tall flower stand in a corner of the room, it appears green and unrestrained, with a leisurely scene and a sense of vitality; on a tall flower stand in a corner of the room, place a medium-sized pot of Selaginella uncinata, with dense branches and small leaves, and creeping stems extending from the pot mouth, hanging over the pot edge, swaying in the wind, elegant in demeanor. It can not only regulate indoor air and eliminate pollution, but also refresh the mind.
Selaginella uncinata can also be used in specialized gardens such as rock gardens and water gardens, and can also be used as decoration on bonsai. Configured beside lakes, streams, rock crevices and waterfalls, it can bring vitality and energy, add wild charm and improve the landscape effect. Larger potted Selaginella uncinata can be placed on a more shaded windowsill or balcony. Especially during April-May each year, or in the plum rain season of early summer, potted Selaginella uncinata, after being washed by light rain, is like a beautiful woman's hair, fluttering and draping. At this time, potted Selaginella uncinata grows emerald green, with green scales piece by piece, which is the best ornamental period for Selaginella uncinata, very delightful to view.
2. Medicinal value
Source: Selaginellaceae Selaginella genus plant Selaginella uncinata (Desv.) Spring, used as medicine with the whole plant. It can be collected all year round, used fresh or dried in the sun.
Nature, flavor and meridian entry: sweet, bland, cool.
Traditional Chinese medicine chemical components: contains diacylglyc-eryltrimethylhomoserine.
Pharmacological effects: 100% Selaginella uncinata decoction, using the plate hole method, has an inhibitory effect on Staphylococcus aureus.
Functions and indications: clear heat and drain dampness, stop bleeding, relieve cough. Used for acute icteric infectious hepatitis, cholecystitis, enteritis, dysentery, nephritic edema, urinary tract infection, rheumatic joint pain, pulmonary tuberculosis hemoptysis; external use for boils, burns and scalds, traumatic bleeding, and bruises.
Usage and dosage: 0.5-1 liang; for external use, pound fresh whole plant and apply, or dry the whole plant in the sun, grind into powder and apply externally to the affected area.
Bamboo Bambusoideae Bamboo illustrated guide: How to grow bamboo / How to propagate bamboo
Bamboo profileBamboo Bambusoideae
Also known as: Zhu
Classification: perennial herbaceous flower
Family and genus: Plantae, Angiosperms, Monocotyledons, Poales, Poaceae, Bambusoideae
Full bloom period: does not bloom
Bamboo is a giant grass and a plant in the grass family. It is an evergreen (a few bamboo species shed leaves in the dry season) shallow-rooted plant, and the stems are generally cylindrical with nodes; however, one type, square bamboo, has square culms. Bamboo is one of the important forest resources, with characteristics such as wide distribution, fast growth, many uses, and high ecological and economic value, and is praised as the "green gold mine." Bamboo is also called Zhu, a perennial grass plant, with woody stems, and is a branch of the grass family, scientific name Bambusoideae (Bambusaceae or Bamboo), distributed in tropical and subtropical regions, East Asia...
Bamboo cultivation methods and precautions: Introduction to bamboo
Bamboo is a giant grass and a plant in the grass family. It is an evergreen (a few bamboo species shed leaves in the dry season) shallow-rooted plant, and the stems are generally cylindrical with nodes; however, one type, square bamboo, has square culms. Bamboo is one of the important forest resources, with characteristics such as wide distribution, fast growth, many uses, and high ecological and economic value, and is praised as the "green gold mine."
Bamboo is also called Zhu, a perennial grass plant, with woody stems, and is a branch of the grass family, scientific name Bambusoideae (Bambusaceae or Bamboo). It is distributed in tropical and subtropical regions, with the most concentrated distribution in East Asia, Southeast Asia, and the Indian Ocean and Pacific islands. There are many species; some are low like grass, and some are tall like trees, growing rapidly. It usually grows in patches through underground creeping rhizomes, and can also reproduce by flowering and setting seed; the seeds are called bamboo rice. The bamboo shoots of some species are edible. Bamboo branches and culms are upright, slender, green in all four seasons, and brave the frost and rain, and are much loved by Chinese people. Together with plum, orchid and chrysanthemum, they are called the Four Gentlemen, and together with plum and pine they are called the Three Friends of Winter. Many literati, ancient and modern, love bamboo and recite poetry about it.
Morphological characteristics of bamboo
Bamboo is a tall tree-like grass plant. More than 70 genera and over 1,000 species have been recorded, but many of them are synonyms. Bamboo is a tall, fast-growing grass plant with woody stems. It is distributed in tropical, subtropical to warm temperate regions. It is most concentrated and most diverse in East Asia, Southeast Asia, and the Indian Ocean and Pacific islands. The aboveground stem of bamboo is woody and hollow (what we call the bamboo culm), and grows in clusters from the underground stem (rhizome) of bamboo.
The shortest bamboo species has culms 10 to 15 cm tall, while the largest bamboo species has culms over 40 m tall. Mature bamboo produces horizontal branches, and the leaves are sword-shaped with petioles. The leaves of young plants grow directly from the stems. Although the stems of some species grow rapidly (0.3 m per day), most species flower and set seed only after growing for 12 to 120 years. Bamboo flowers and sets seed only once in its life.
The underground stem of bamboo (commonly called the bamboo rhizome) grows horizontally, is slightly hollow in the middle, and also has nodes that are numerous and dense. Many fibrous roots and buds grow on the nodes. Some buds develop into bamboo shoots that emerge from the ground and grow into bamboo, while other buds do not emerge from the ground but grow horizontally and develop into new underground stems. Therefore, bamboo always grows in patches and groves. Tender bamboo rhizomes and bamboo shoots can be eaten.
In autumn and winter, when bamboo buds have not yet emerged from the ground, digging them out is called winter bamboo shoots; in spring, when bamboo shoots emerge from the ground, they are called spring bamboo shoots. Both winter bamboo shoots and spring bamboo shoots are common foods in Chinese cuisine. In spring, bamboo buds wait for spring rain in dry soil. If a rain falls, spring bamboo shoots will emerge from the ground at a very fast rate.
Although people often call bamboo a tree, it is a herbaceous plant, and its xylem is not well developed. Bamboo leaves are narrowly lanceolate, 7.5-16 cm long and 1-2 cm wide, with acuminate tips and obtuse bases. The petiole is about 5 mm long. One side of the margin is relatively smooth, while the other side has small serrations and is rough; the veins are parallel, with 6-8 pairs of secondary veins, and the small cross veins are very prominent; the leaf surface is dark green and hairless, while the underside is lighter in color and slightly hairy at the base; it is thin and rather brittle. Bamboo shoots are 10 to 30 cm long, and the whole body of an adult bamboo is generally emerald green with 10 to 15 nodes.
Most bamboos have underground rhizomes with obvious nodes, and buds grow at each node. The buds at each node of the underground stem can sprout into underground horizontally running bamboo rhizomes or aboveground bamboo culms. The buds on the culm nodes often form branches at each node. The leaves on the branches are vegetative leaves, lanceolate, with short petioles.
In some areas, there are also clumping bamboos, whose underground stems form multi-noded false rhizomes, with no buds or roots on the nodes, and the apical buds emerge from the soil to form culms. The whole plant grows and is distributed in clumps, typically such as Phoenix-tail bamboo, Sinocalamus affinis, Dendrocalamus latiflorus and Bambusa multiplex. They generally grow in areas with relatively sufficient water and heat conditions.
Bamboo is also the fastest-growing plant in the world. The hollow aboveground stems of some bamboos can grow 40 cm per day, and after full growth can reach a height of 35-40 m. The reason bamboo grows quickly is that its branches and stems are segmented, so while other plants only have apical meristem tissue growing, bamboo grows simultaneously at every node. However, as bamboo continues to grow, the sheaths wrapping the outside of the bamboo nodes fall off, and the height growth of the bamboo stops, but the internal tissue growth and filling continue continuously. It is widely distributed and easy to keep alive.
Bamboo differs greatly from ordinary trees. The aboveground part of bamboo is composed of noded culms, branches and leaves. The base of the culm connects to the underground stem, and the underground stem is also noded. The slender roots on the nodes of the underground stem, called fibrous roots, are the true roots. The tensile strength and load-bearing capacity of bamboo are 1-3 times those of ordinary trees, and it has very good elasticity, making it an excellent building material. As early as the Han Dynasty in China, bamboo began to be used as a raw material for papermaking; moso bamboo, because of its unique fine and uniform texture and hard texture, is very suitable for producing flooring and other decorative boards. Bamboo can of course also be made into commonly used bamboo cutting boards, bamboo mats, bamboo beds, bamboo cabinets, bamboo chairs, etc. In addition, bamboo can also be used to make musical instruments, such as the sheng, guan, and xiao; bamboo-woven handicrafts are even more dazzling and highly ornamental. Crisp, sweet bamboo shoots can also be eaten, and bamboo can also be used as medicine. Among more than 1,200 kinds of bamboo, moso bamboo is one of the excellent timber bamboo species; its texture is hard, and its surface grain is elegant and beautiful, making it the best decorative material in the new century.
Bamboo grows quickly. Some can grow more than one meter within a single day, and can fully develop in just two or three months. After that, they no longer grow taller or thicker, and remain that size until they die. The life cycle of bamboo is not long, only a few years. When bamboo grows old, it will bloom and then die. This is to eliminate old bamboo and preserve new plants, so as to promote the growth vitality of the bamboo forest. However, bamboos often bloom and die together.
Ecological habits of bamboo
The annual average temperature of a suitable or relatively suitable climate for bamboo is 12 to 22°C, the average January temperature is 5 to 10°C, and the extreme minimum temperature is -20°C; annual precipitation is 1000 to 2000 mm, and the annual average relative humidity is 65% to 82%. North China, however, has a typical continental climate, with severe cold in winter and intense heat in summer. Although there is more rainfall in July and August, the annual average precipitation is only 500 to 600 mm, so it is not an ideal climatic condition for bamboo growth. Therefore, relatively cold-resistant scattered bamboo varieties should be selected, such as yellow-groove bamboo, gold-and-jade bamboo, yellow-culm Beijing bamboo, black bamboo, and early garden bamboo. The above varieties not only have strong cold resistance, but also have many successful experiences in northern garden construction that can be referenced.
Bamboo is a perennial monocarpic plant. Bamboo flowering is a normal natural phenomenon and is part of the process of bamboo seed reproduction. The people of ancient China observed this phenomenon long ago. In the Classic of Mountains and Seas more than 2,000 years ago, there is a record: "When bamboo produces flowers, in that year it withers." In the Bamboo Manual written by Dai Kai of the Jin Dynasty, it is recorded: "Medicine must be sixty, and again six years.
"Its annotation is: "Bamboo at sixty years also changes roots, and when it changes roots it then bears fruit and dies." However, bamboo mainly reproduces asexually. Every spring, shoots grow from the underground bamboo rhizomes and then develop into new bamboo. The bamboo rhizome is not its root, but an underground stem. Underground stems can be divided into three types: the monopodial type can continue growing, with buds borne on both sides, and the lateral buds develop into shoots; in the sympodial type, the apical bud develops into a shoot, and the lateral buds produce new underground stems, which connect to form a sympodium. The underground stems produce bamboo culms densely clustered, and the Yuzhu and Huajuzhu that giant pandas like to eat belong to this category; in addition, there is also a mixed type, which is a hybrid of the above two. The sexual reproduction of bamboo, like that of other flowering plants, first flowers, then sets seed, completing the entire growth cycle. The flowering cycle of bamboo also has three types depending on the bamboo species: a few bamboos can bloom every year, and after flowering the culms do not die and can still send out rhizomes and grow shoots; most bamboos bloom only once in their entire growth process, and at a certain cycle, ranging from 40 to 80 years. After flowering, the culms and leaves wither and yellow, die in patches, and the underground stems gradually turn black and lose sprouting ability. The seeds formed, the so-called bamboo rice, can only grow into new bamboo after being sown and sprouting. Arrow bamboo and Huajuzhu belong to this type; there is also a type that blooms sporadically at irregular intervals, and after flowering the bamboo forest does not die, such as Sinocalamus affinis, which is one of them.
Huajuzhu, large arrow bamboo, etc. all belong to the category that blooms in patches at regular intervals. The interval between flowering of this type of bamboo is very long, generally 50-60 years; some even bloom only once in nearly a hundred years. However, regardless of the year in which the bamboo culms grow, as long as the age of the bamboo rhizome is the same or similar, then the flowering time will be roughly the same. Even if the ecological environment differs greatly, such as sunny slope, shady slope, steep slope, gentle slope, different soils, and different altitudes, they can still bloom at the same time.
Bamboo cultivation techniques: Selecting suitable varieties
The annual average temperature of a suitable or relatively suitable climate for bamboo is 12 to 22°C, the average January temperature is 5 to 10°C, and the extreme minimum temperature is -20°C; annual precipitation is 1000 to 2000 mm, and the annual average relative humidity is 65% to 82%. North China, however, has a typical continental climate, with severe cold in winter and intense heat in summer. Although there is more rainfall in July and August, the annual average precipitation is only 500 to 600 mm, so it is not an ideal climatic condition for bamboo growth. Therefore, relatively cold-resistant scattered bamboo varieties should be selected, such as yellow-groove bamboo, gold-and-jade bamboo, yellow-culm Beijing bamboo, black bamboo, and early garden bamboo. The above varieties not only have strong cold resistance, but also have many successful experiences in northern garden construction that can be referenced.
Scientific planting
Based on the characteristic that bamboo likes a warm and humid climate, when planting, choose a wind-sheltered and sunny location, such as the sunny side of rockeries, buildings, and hills.
The soil at the planting site is best if it is loam or sandy loam. If the soil is too clayey or pure sand, soil improvement should be carried out. On the basis of applying sufficient base fertilizer (mainly organic fertilizer, about 4 cubic meters per mu), plow and turn the soil to a depth of no less than 40 cm.
Bamboo planted in northern China is mostly scattered bamboo, generally using the method of transplanting bamboo or transplanting rhizomes. Whichever method is used, choose bamboo rhizomes that are 1 to 2 years old, very robust, free of pests and diseases, with fresh yellow rhizomes and plump buds. When transplanting bamboo, be sure to bring the underground bamboo rhizome, otherwise it will be difficult to survive.
The best planting season is late spring and early summer. If it is too early, drought, little rain, dry climate and wind will affect survival; if planting is too late, bamboo has already entered its rapid growth period, and too much root damage is also unfavorable for survival. If using local seedling sources, it can also be transplanted in the rainy summer, but it must be with a soil ball.
The planting depth should be determined according to the clayey degree of the soil, generally 20 to 25 cm. If too deep, bamboo shoots have difficulty breaking through the soil; if too shallow, the bamboo shoots will be thin and weak after emerging. According to the length of the bamboo rhizome (generally 40 to 50 cm), dig long strip-shaped holes, bury the bamboo rhizome, cover with soil and firm it, then water thoroughly.
Management after planting
Bamboo likes moisture. After planting, keep the soil moist frequently, especially during the shoot emergence period or the young bamboo growth period, when timely irrigation is necessary. When transplanting and planting, spray water on the aboveground plants promptly. Where conditions permit, spray water on the bamboo leaves before 9 a.m. and after 3 p.m. every day, and 30% to 50% shade netting can also be used for shading. If planted on flat ground, windbreak barriers need to be set up on the northwest, north and northeast sides.
When transplanting bamboo, there is a "false death phenomenon." Under improper management, bamboo leaves may partially or completely fall off. But as long as the branches and stems remain fresh green and attention is paid to moisture retention, they can all sprout and unfold leaves again.
Strengthen the prevention and control of pests and diseases. Bamboo aphids are one of the main pests harming bamboo, and the peak occurrence period throughout the year in the north is mostly from August to October. They can be killed by spraying 50% zinc sulfur phosphorus and 50% fenitrothion each at 1000 times dilution. In addition, there are also pests such as whitefly, all of which should be controlled in time. Bamboo sooty mold is one of the bamboo leaf diseases, mostly caused by bamboo insects, and is extremely likely to occur under high temperature and humidity and poor ventilation. In addition to strengthening bamboo garden management and improving adverse environmental conditions, eliminating bamboo aphids is the fundamental measure for controlling sooty mold.
Bamboo cultivation methods
Bamboo growth has its particularity. It relies on the shoot buds on the underground stem (commonly called the bamboo rhizome) to develop into bamboo shoots, and then grow into new bamboo. New bamboo can complete height and diameter growth within 1-4 months, and after that no longer increases. Bamboo sends up shoots and grows bamboo every year. Therefore, the planting techniques for ornamental bamboo are also different from other nursery stock. The planting methods for bamboo such as early garden bamboo, Phyllostachys sulphurea, gold-and-jade bamboo, yellow-groove bamboo, yellow-culm Beijing bamboo, black bamboo, and Indocalamus are roughly the same.
I.Planting time
1. Scattered bamboo
Scattered bamboo usually begins to send up shoots in spring from March to May. Most bamboo species basically complete height growth in June and send out branches and grow leaves. From August to September they grow a large number of rhizomes. After entering November, as the temperature decreases, physiological activity gradually slows. By February of the following year, with the rise in temperature, physiological activity gradually recovers. According to this growth rhythm, the ideal bamboo planting time for scattered bamboo should be from October to February of the following year, with the "little Indian summer" of October being the best. When planting bamboo in winter from November to December, although there is little rain and the weather is dry, the physiological activity of bamboo tends to weaken at this time, transpiration is not strong, and the survival rate of planted bamboo is also relatively high. In the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, bamboo transplanting afforestation can be used in normal years during the plum rain season. However, it is only suitable for short-distance transplanting, and only when the root ball carries soil can a high survival rate be guaranteed. In northern regions, due to severe winter cold, it is suitable to plant bamboo in October in autumn and February in early spring. It is worth noting that the shoot emergence period from March to May in spring is not suitable for planting bamboo. "There is no fixed time for planting bamboo; move it after rain." As long as the quality of the mother bamboo is guaranteed, management is careful, and water balance is maintained, it can be planted at any time of the year except the hot dog days and the severe cold sanjiu days. If container bamboo seedlings are used, bamboo can be planted in all four seasons in both north and south, ensuring survival.
2. Clumping bamboo
Generally, bamboo culms sprout from March to May, and shoots are sent up from June to August, and clumping bamboo is not resistant to severe cold. Therefore, clumping bamboo is best planted in spring in February, before the bamboo bud eyes have sprouted and before the bamboo sap begins to flow. Similarly, if management conditions are good or container bamboo seedlings are used, bamboo can also be planted in all four seasons.
3. Mixed bamboo
The growth and development rhythm of mixed bamboo lies between scattered bamboo and clumping bamboo. It sends up shoots and grows bamboo from May to July, so the bamboo planting season is suitable in autumn and winter from October to December and in spring from February to March.
II.Preparation of the planting site
Bamboo growth requires a soil depth of 50-100 cm (50 cm is enough for small- and medium-diameter bamboo; large-diameter bamboo such as moso bamboo requires 80-100 cm), fertile, moist sandy loam with good drainage and aeration, slightly acidic or neutral, with pH 4.5-7.0 being suitable, and the groundwater level below 1 m (moso bamboo) or below 50 cm (small- and medium-diameter bamboo). Site preparation is an important step before bamboo planting. Whether site preparation is good or bad directly affects the quality of bamboo establishment and the speed of forest formation. The best site preparation method is complete site preparation, that is, plowing and turning the entire planting site to a depth of 30 cm and removing stones, weeds, tree roots and other debris from the soil. If the soil is too clayey, saline-alkali soil, or has too much construction waste, methods such as increasing organic fertilizer, replacing soil, or filling with borrowed soil should be used for improvement. After preparing the site, planting holes can be dug. The density and specifications of planting holes are determined specifically according to different bamboo species, bamboo seedling specifications and engineering requirements. In landscaping projects, generally small- and medium-diameter bamboo is planted at 3-4 plants per sq m, with a row spacing of 50-60 cm, and the planting hole specifications are 40 cm long and 40 cm wide, with a depth of 30 cm.
III.Requirements for mother bamboo
The quality of mother bamboo has a great influence on the quality of bamboo establishment. High-quality mother bamboo is easy to survive and form a forest after planting, while poor-quality mother bamboo is not easy to plant successfully or difficult to form a forest. The quality of mother bamboo is mainly reflected in age, thickness, growth vigor and soil ball size.
① Mother bamboo age: best is current-year to 2-year-old. This is because the bamboo rhizome connected to current-year to 2-year-old mother bamboo is generally at the robust age stage, with plump rhizome buds and sound rhizome roots, so it is easy to plant successfully and grow new bamboo and new rhizomes, and forms a forest relatively quickly. Old bamboo (over 3 years old) is not suitable as mother bamboo.
② Mother bamboo thickness: for medium-diameter bamboo (such as Phyllostachys praecox and early garden bamboo), a diameter at breast height of 2-3 cm is suitable; for small-diameter bamboo (such as black bamboo, gold-and-jade bamboo, and spotted bamboo), a diameter at breast height of 1-2 cm is suitable.
③ Mother bamboo should be robust in growth, with relatively low branching, luxuriant branches and leaves, and no pests, diseases or signs of flowering.
④ The soil ball diameter should be 25-30 cm. If the soil ball is too small, the mother bamboo is prone to excessive water loss, reducing survival, and the bamboo rhizome is short with few roots, so forest formation is slow. If the soil ball is too large, it is inconvenient to transport. Small and medium-sized ornamental bamboo usually grows densely, so several stems can be dug up together as one "plant" of mother bamboo. The specific requirements are: scattered bamboo 1-2 stems per plant, mixed bamboo 2-4 stems per plant, and clumping bamboo can be dug up and divided into 3-5 stems per clump. After the mother bamboo is dug up, the bamboo tip should generally be cut off, retaining 4-5 whorls of branches, and excessively dense branches and leaves should be pruned to reduce water evaporation and improve the planting survival rate. When mother bamboo is transported over long distances, if the soil ball is loose, it must be wrapped, using straw, woven bags, etc. to wrap the soil ball well. After loading onto the vehicle, first spray a small amount of water on the bamboo leaves, then fully cover the bamboo with a tarpaulin to prevent wind and reduce water loss. Short-distance transport of mother bamboo does not require wrapping, but it must be prevented that the rhizome buds and "screws" are damaged and that the original soil is shaken off.
IV.Planting of mother bamboo
After the mother bamboo is transported to the planting site, it should be planted immediately. Bamboo should be planted shallowly, not deeply. The surface of the mother bamboo root ball should be 3-5 cm lower than the surface of the planting hole. First, mix topsoil or organic fertilizer with topsoil and backfill it into the planting hole, generally 10 cm thick. Then remove the wrapping material from the mother bamboo root ball, place the mother bamboo into the hole, keep the root ball surface parallel to the ground surface, make the rhizome roots spread out, and make the lower part closely contact the soil. Then first fill with topsoil, then with subsoil, pick out stones, tree roots and other debris, and firm layer by layer so that the root system and soil are closely connected.
During the process of filling soil and firming it, be careful not to damage the rhizome buds. Then water thoroughly with "settling water" to further make the roots and soil closely connected. After the water has completely infiltrated into the soil, cover with a layer of loose soil and pile it into a steamed bun shape at the base of the bamboo culm. Finally, a layer of straw can be added on top of the steamed bun-shaped soil mound to prevent water evaporation from the planting hole. If the mother bamboo is tall or the location is windy, support frames need to be added to prevent the bamboo culm from swaying in the wind, which would prevent close contact between roots and soil and reduce the survival rate.
Potted cultivation and care of bamboo
Bamboo is upright and elegant, with varied branches and leaves, and evergreen in all four seasons. It is a traditional courtyard ornamental plant in China. Together with plum, orchid and chrysanthemum, it is called the "Four Gentlemen." The Song Dynasty poet Su Dongpo said: "I would rather eat without meat than live without bamboo." Today, bamboo is also regarded by people as an excellent product for decorating homes and environments. Northerners especially love bamboo, but because outdoor planting cannot survive due to excessively low winter temperatures, placing potted bamboo indoors for viewing is a better way.
Ornamental potted bamboo species
Ornamental potted bamboo is best with small and medium-sized and groundcover bamboos that have peculiar culm shapes, beautiful branches and leaves, and colored culms and leaves, including several major categories such as culm shape, culm color, leaf color and plant form. Some excellent ornamental potted bamboo species are categorized as follows:
1. Culm shape category
① Arhat bamboo (human-face bamboo) Ph.aurea: several nodes at the base or below the middle of the culm are abnormally shortened, and the internodes are swollen or constricted, shaped like a human face;
② Small Buddha-belly bamboo B.ventricosa: culms are short and clumping, with shortened and swollen internodes, shaped like a "Buddha's belly";
③ Large Buddha-belly bamboo B.vulgaris cv.Wamin: culms are relatively large, up to 8 cm in diameter, and the internodes of culms and branches are shortened and swollen in a Buddha-belly shape;
④ Square Bamboo Ch. quadrangularis: the base of the culm is square, while the lower part of the culm is square and the upper part is round;
⑤ Qiong Bamboo Q. tumidinoda: the culm nodes are strongly raised, like two discs clasped together, shaped like abacus beads.
2. Culm color ornamental types
① Black Bamboo (Ink Bamboo) Ph. nigra: new culms are green, gradually turning purplish-black in autumn and winter of the same year;
② Mottled Bamboo (Xiangfei Bamboo) Ph. bambusoides f. lacrima-deae: the culms are green, with purplish-black blotches and spots;
③ Golden Bright Bamboo Ph. bambusoides var. castillonis: the culms and branches are yellow, the longitudinal grooves are bright green, the bamboo leaves are deep green, and the branches spread out;
④ Yellow-culm Black Bitter Bamboo Ph. vivax f. aureocalis: the culm diameter is 3 to 5 cm, the culms are a unique golden yellow, and below the middle there are irregular dark green stripes of varying thickness;
⑤ Yellow-stripe Bamboo Ph. vivax f. huanwenzhu: the culms are green, and the longitudinal groove on the side of the branches is golden yellow. In addition, there are also Golden Inlaid Jade Bamboo Ph. aureosulcata f. spectabilis (culms golden yellow, grooves green), Yellow-culm Beijing Bamboo Ph. aureosulcata f. aureocaulis (culms entirely golden yellow), Yellow-groove Stone Green Bamboo Ph. arcana f. luteosulcata (culms green, longitudinal grooves yellow), and Golden Green Bamboo B. vulgaris cv. Vittata (a large clumping bamboo, culms and branches golden yellow, with intermittent green longitudinal stripes), etc.
3. Leaf color ornamental types
① White-stripe Yin-Yang Bamboo Hi. tranquillans f. shiroshima: the culms are distinct, 1.5 m tall, the leaves are broad and large, with relatively wide yellow stripes between them, native to Japan;
② White-stripe Dwarf Bamboo Sasa fortunei: a ground-cover bamboo, culms 25 cm tall, leaves green with distinct broad white or pale yellow stripes;
③ Yellow-stripe King Kong Bamboo Pl. kongosanensis f. aureostriatus: a ground-cover bamboo, culms 30 cm tall, leaves relatively broad and large, green, irregularly interspersed with yellow stripes; ④ Indocalamus Bamboo In. herklosii: culms 1.5 m tall, bamboo leaves broad and large, evergreen in all four seasons.
4. Plant form ornamental types
① Phoenix-tail Bamboo B. glaucescens var. riviererum: a clumping bamboo, leaves small, arranged in two rows on the branchlets, shaped like pinnately compound leaves, often pruned into a spherical shape;
② Small Qin-si Bamboo (Flower Filial Bamboo) B. glaucescens f. alphonse-karr: a clumping bamboo, new culms pale red, old culms golden yellow, irregularly interspersed with green longitudinal stripes;
③ Olive Bamboo Acidosasa gigantea: the culms are upright, the branches spread out, the bamboo leaves are dense, the bamboo crown is layered, and the leaves are soft and slightly wrinkled.
Potted cultivation facilities and materials
1. Greenhouse
Newly planted potted bamboo should be kept under shade conditions for care, and in the north it must overwinter indoors in winter. Therefore, before potting bamboo, facilities should be built and shade nets covered, to ensure shading in the hot summer and heat preservation in the cold winter; if conditions are good, heating equipment can also be provided.
2. Water source
In the management of potted bamboo, water management is the most labor-intensive and directly affects survival. Therefore, the planting site must have an adequate water supply to meet production needs.
3. Pot soil
Bamboo prefers acidic, slightly acidic or neutral soil, with pH 4.5 to 7.0 being suitable, and it dislikes heavy, alkaline soil. Northern soil is strongly alkaline, so 0.2% ferrous sulfate can be added. The pot soil is best as loose, fertile, well-drained sandy loam, which can be made by mixing farmland soil with red-yellow soil, humus soil and fine sand. If White-stripe Dwarf Bamboo is planted in ordinary pot soil, the survival rate is low; vermiculite or peat mixed with perlite can be used as the substrate, giving a higher survival rate.
4. Fertilizer
Bamboo fertilizer is mainly organic fertilizer; decomposed livestock manure, garbage compost and river mud are all acceptable. Organic fertilizer is mainly used as base fertilizer, mixed into the pot soil for use, generally at 10% to 15% of the pot soil volume.
5. Pots
The pots for potted bamboo can be plastic flower pots, plastic buckets, nutrient pots, seedling bags, clay pots and ceramic pots, etc. Among these, nutrient pots and seedling bags are the most economical and the effect is also quite good. Choose pots according to the size of the bamboo: for ground-cover bamboo such as White-stripe Dwarf Bamboo, 10×10 and 13×12 cm nutrient pots can be used; for small bamboo such as Arhat Bamboo, 30×30 cm nutrient pots can be used; for medium bamboo such as Yellow-culm Black Bitter Bamboo, 30×45 and 35×50 cm seedling bags can be used.
Potting process
1. Potting time
For scattered bamboo, the best potting time is February and March before the bamboo shoots emerge in spring and September and October in autumn, among which February is best for ground-cover bamboo. Because clumping bamboo produces shoots in summer and autumn, March to May in spring is better.
2. Potting requirements
From the bamboo nursery, dig up ornamental bamboo with low branches, lush bamboo leaves and beautiful plant form, 2 to 3 plants per clump. When digging, bring more native soil to ensure the whip buds and whip roots are intact. After digging, immediately transport to a shady place and spray water on the leaf surfaces. When digging and transporting bamboo, do not shake the culms, so as to avoid damaging the "screws" and affecting survival. If the bamboo is too tall, the tip should be cut off; if there are too many bamboo leaves, some leaves can be removed. When placed indoors, control the bamboo height at about 2 m.
3. Key points for potting
When potting, first place the pot level and line the bottom of the pot with a layer of breathable material such as crushed stone pieces or coal cinders. Then fill in a layer of pot soil and place the bamboo into the pot. Finally, add soil again, and while filling soil, use a wooden stick to tamp the soil firmly around the pot. After potting, immediately water thoroughly until water flows out from the bottom of the pot.
Care and management
To ensure the survival, robust growth and fresh green elegance of potted bamboo, care and management must be strengthened. The main work includes the following aspects:
1. Water management
Bamboo likes moisture and fears waterlogging. After potting, the first watering should be thorough; afterward keep the pot soil moist, but do not water too much, otherwise the rhizomes and roots are prone to rot. From potting to survival, also frequently spray water on the leaves. If the pot soil lacks water, the bamboo leaves will curl; at this time, water promptly, and the bamboo leaves will unfold again. In summer, water once every 1 to 2 days on average; in winter water less, but ensure the pot soil is moist to prevent "dry freezing".
2. Fertilizer management
Potted bamboo fertilizer is mainly the organic fertilizer mixed into the pot soil at potting time; after the bamboo survives, apply additional fertilizer appropriately, "light fertilizer applied frequently", applying 0.5% urea or 1.0% compound fertilizer with water in spring and summer.
3. Pest and disease control
The main insect pests of potted bamboo are aphids, scale insects, etc., which can be sprayed with 80% dichlorvos emulsion or 40% dimethoate emulsion at 1000 times dilution; the main diseases are sooty mould, witches' broom, etc. Management should be strengthened and diseased plants pruned promptly.
4. Other management
In high-temperature seasons, potted bamboo should be moved to a shady place to avoid scorching sun exposure. The greenhouse should be covered with shade nets, and water should be sprayed on the leaves to keep the leaf color fresh green. In winter, potted bamboo must be moved to a wind-sheltered, sunny place or indoors, and the greenhouse should be covered with plastic film for heat preservation.
Bamboo propagation methods
Bamboo is mostly propagated by division, burying culms, transplanting rhizomes, and sowing.
The bamboo rhizome has strong sprouting ability and clumping habit. Before sprouting in early spring, cut the rhizome and plant it separately together with the culm; new bamboo can grow in the summer of the same year. Seeds from bamboo after flowering can also be sown.
For planting bamboo, choose a wind-sheltered, sunny and moist environment. Bamboo grows fast and has a large growth volume, with high water and fertilizer requirements; it requires sufficient moisture but also good drainage. It requires deep, fertile soil rich in organic matter and mineral elements and slightly acidic. Common courtyard plantings include Moso Bamboo, Phoenix-tail Bamboo, Dan Bamboo, Hanyuan Bamboo, and Gang Bamboo, etc.
1. Rhizome burial propagation
Suitable for scattered bamboo species and mixed bamboo species. Method: dig up strong rhizomes, retain the rhizome roots and rhizome buds, keep more native root soil, cut the bamboo rhizome into 50-60 cm segments, lay them flat on the seedbed, cover with soil 5-8 cm thick, and keep the seedbed moist. The best time for burying rhizomes is about one month before bamboo shoots emerge in early spring. After burying the rhizomes, pay attention to watering in dry weather and drainage in rainy weather. After seedlings emerge, apply nitrogen fertilizer in good time, such as urea, ammonium sulfate and decomposed human waste, and also weed promptly. As long as management is proper, after one year each rhizome can produce 2-3 bamboo seedlings, for use in afforestation the following spring.
2. Culm burial propagation
Suitable for clumping bamboo species. Method: select 2-year-old robust culms, dig them up with the stump or cut them off without the stump, keep one branch node on each node of the culm, cut off and remove the tip of the culm, and every 1 to 2 nodes, cut or saw a notch in the middle of the node. Immerse the culm in clean water, and after the bamboo cavity is filled with water, seal the cut with clay. Open level trenches in the seedbed, lay the culm flat (cut facing upward), then cover with soil 5 to 10 cm, and keep the seedbed moist. After about 1 month, the buds on the culm nodes successively sprout and emerge. After half a year to one year, the culm can be dug out and cut into individual bamboo seedlings for afforestation. The best period for culm burial propagation is about 1 month before bamboo sprouting.
3. Node burial propagation
This method is also suitable for clumping bamboo species, especially clumping bamboo with latent buds at the base of the side branches, such as Chengmao Bamboo, Qingpi Bamboo, Datou Dian Bamboo, and Diaosi Bamboo, etc. Method: saw the culm into segments node by node or every two nodes, then transplant and bury them in the seedbed and cover with soil and keep moist; the management requirements are the same as for culm burial propagation.
4. Side-branch propagation
This method is also applied to clumping bamboo species. Method: take side branches (secondary branches) from the nodes of culms 2 years or older, cut off excess branch tips and bamboo leaves, retain 5 to 8 nodes, and protect the buds at the base. Insert the side branches into the seedbed and expose the upper half of the branches and leaves, set up a shade shed over the seedbed, and frequently spray water to keep moist. After 1 to 2 weeks, the base of the secondary branch grows roots, and new buds grow on the branch nodes, gradually developing into independent bamboo plants. Generally, side-branch cuttings give the best effect when done during the period of most vigorous bamboo growth. After one year of cultivation, the side-branch seedlings tiller into bamboo clumps and can then be used for afforestation.
Bamboo propagated by any vegetative method is a mutation, thereby leading to flowering.
Bamboo disease control
The main insect pests of potted bamboo are aphids, scale insects, etc., which can be sprayed with 80% dichlorvos emulsion or 40% dimethoate emulsion at 1000 times dilution; the main diseases are sooty mould, witches' broom, etc. Management should be strengthened and diseased plants pruned promptly.
Bamboo variety classification: contemporary varieties
1. Ci Bamboo
Ci Bamboo is a clumping type. A typical representative of bamboo: tall, with long internodes and lush leaves. Its biological characteristics:
(1) Growth characteristics of the aboveground part: shoot buds emerge from June to August, and growth basically stops in mid-October. Generally 20-30 nodes, 8 to 13 m tall; the longest lifespan is 9 years; 1-2 year old mother bamboo has the strongest shoot-producing ability, and 3-5 successive generations produce new shoots with a large growth rate, which can cultivate large timber; leaves change once a year; flowering is unrelated to age and related to moisture and nutrition; before flowering the leaves turn yellow, and after flowering the leaves gradually fall off, the plant gradually dies, and the material becomes brittle; 1-year-old is young bamboo, 2-3 years old is mature bamboo; 4-5 years old is old bamboo. The sheaths are hairy.
(2) Growth characteristics of the underground part: the culm base has 6 nodes, of which only one node has shoots growing out (the part connecting the culm handle to the old bamboo); the underground parts are densely gathered together, do not extend elsewhere, and have the characteristic of arching upward toward the ground; the underground stems and fibrous roots of a single clump are well developed, most in the surface layer, reaching as deep as 2 m. New young bamboo does not root in the same year, forms a root system in the second year, and then gradually weakens; 6-7 year old old bamboo has very few live roots; culms that have lost the aboveground part can remain underground for more than ten years before rotting; if not handled in time, they coil layer upon layer, affecting the formation of bamboo shoots and the growth of the bamboo forest. The connection between the bamboo plant and the old stump should be cut off; this is called "digging out the stump".
Ci Bamboo culm fiber has strong toughness, sparse nodes and long internodes, and is a superior material for bamboo weaving crafts. Ci Bamboo is the main bamboo species in Qingshen; in rural areas, almost every household plants it.
2. Dan Bamboo
Commonly known among the people as "Bitter Ci", it is the high-quality Ci Bamboo in the genus Ci Bamboo with the longest internodes (more than one meter long). The bamboo quality is fine and smooth, and the fiber toughness is especially strong; it can be split into bamboo strips as thin as cicada wings and as fine as hair, woven into high-end bamboo weaving crafts like silk or fine silk. This kind grows mostly in fertile shady mountain areas and is the best material for bamboo weaving. Besides Qingshen, there are also some of this "Bitter Ci" bamboo in the Meishan and Qionglai areas.
3. Four-season Bamboo
This is a high-quality bamboo species introduced to Qingshen in recent years. Clumping type, named for producing shoots in all four seasons. A species of the genus Ci Bamboo; its biggest features are thick, tall and straight culms, a single one weighing dozens of jin, fine fibers, and fast reproductive growth. It is a good material for papermaking and has great economic value. In Qingshen's Xilong, Guanjin, Guihua, Baiguo, Luowan and other townships, there are bases of this bamboo of over 100,000 mu. This bamboo is native to Daping Township, Yuanling County, Hunan.
4. Yingtou Huang
Clumping type; culms tall and straight, hard, thick-walled with a small cavity, so it is mostly used for building materials; in rural areas it is all used for load-bearing, carrying and lifting things. Planted in small quantities.
5. Mottled Bamboo
Also known as Xiangfei Bamboo, scattered type; culms tall and straight, upright, large in diameter, hard, with brown spots on the bamboo surface. Legend says it was formed by the tears of Emperor Yao's two daughters falling on it, hence the name "Mottled Bamboo". This bamboo is mostly used for building materials and can also be split into strips for weaving. In ancient times, the tow ropes for pulling boats were mostly made from strips of this bamboo. Its characteristics are that it is not easily eroded by water, light and strong in tensile strength. The planted quantity in Qingshen is not large. It is mainly produced in the Xiangshui basin of Hunan.
6. Nan Bamboo
Also known as Moso Bamboo, it is the representative of scattered bamboo. Culms tall and straight, hard. Diameter about 20 cm; it is a good material for construction; the bamboo head is a good material for carved crafts; bamboo shoots are the best dish, called "Jade Nan Slices". In Qingshen it is planted at Zhongyan Temple, Deyun Temple and other places. It is abundantly produced in Changning, Sichuan, Chishui, Guizhou, Jiangxi, Zhejiang, Hunan and other places.
7. Thorny Nan Bamboo
A species of the genus Nan Bamboo, named because both the culms and branches have hard "thorns". Clumping type; culms tall and straight, upright and thick (diameter more than 10 cm), thick flesh, small cavity, shoot sheaths hairless, few leaves. Mostly used for building materials. There is a small amount planted in Qingshen Bamboo Art City, Tianmiao and other places.
8. Water Bamboo
Scattered type; culms slender and hard, shaped like steel pipes, leaves sparse, bamboo toughness relatively strong. Mostly used as material for making bamboo furniture; when growing in large contiguous areas, it can be used as papermaking material. There was once a patch of Water Bamboo in Luowan, Qingshen, called the "Bamboo Sea".
9. Ink Bamboo
Scattered type; it is a rare bamboo species. Named because the culms and branches are all black; the outer shell of the shoot tip is reddish-brown, and it matures in one year. It is the best material for making di and xiao wind instruments. There is very little in individual places in Qingshen.
10. White Powder Bamboo
Clumping type, genus Ci Bamboo; culm nodes are long, shaped like "Bitter Ci", named because there is a thin layer of white powder on the culm surface.
The ornamental bamboos introduced to Qingshen's "Bamboo Art City" include:
11. Arhat Bamboo
Clumping type; culms not tall, head large, upper body small; several nodes at the head bulge like an "Arhat's" belly, hence the name. It can be used as craft material.
12. Qin-si Bamboo
Clumping type; some tall, some short; the culm surface is pale yellow, with green lines of thick and thin alternating on it, shaped like "qin strings", hence the name.
13. Phoenix-tail Bamboo
Clumping type; culms slender and short, branches and leaves very fine and small, shaped like a phoenix tail, hence the name.
14. Square Bamboo
Mixed type; named because the bamboo culms are roughly square. The surface is pale yellow, and there is a ring of small thorns on the node ring, so it is also called "Thorn Bamboo". It can be used as craft processing material. This bamboo is rare and is a rare bamboo type. There is a precious patch of "Square Bamboo" in Fengli Village, Zhayang Township, Tuorong County, Fujian.
15. Palm Bamboo
Mixed type; its stem resembles bamboo but is not bamboo, black with skin, solid in the center, with white mane patterns inside the flesh.
16. Bamboo Hat Bamboo
Mixed type; culms slender and straight, hard in quality, leaves broad and large, strong reproductive capacity. In ancient times the culms were used to make arrow shafts. People of Qingshen often put the leaves into woven bamboo hats to protect against rain or sunlight, hence the name "Bamboo Hat Bamboo".
17. The world's largest bamboo, Giant Dragon Bamboo
Produced in the Yunnan region of our country; local people can use it to make buckets or large utensils. Some professionals say it is Golden Thunder Bamboo.
Ancient bamboo species
Recorded in the "Bamboo Classic" by Dai Kai of the Jin Dynasty and the "Complete Treatise on Agricultural Administration" by Xu Guangqi of the Ming Dynasty
1. Twelve-hour Bamboo: the bamboo nodes are encircled with raised characters for the twelve earthly branches. The twelve characters zi, chou, yan, mao, si, wu, wei, shen, you, xu, hai and so on; the family of Zhou Junshu in Anfu, Qizhou had this bamboo, also a wonder of creation.
2. Xilao Bamboo: produced in Xinzhou, one branch with a hundred leaves, the skin is sharp and can be used to make armor whetstones; after long use it becomes slightly smooth, but after soaking overnight in sour slurry it becomes sharp and keen again as before; mostly made into crossbow arrows.
3. Human-face Bamboo: produced in Tanshan; the bamboo diameter is several cun, and near the base up to two chi, the nodes are crowded and uneven on all four sides, the bamboo skin is like fish scales, and the surface bulges quite like a human face; the large bamboo is like a bowl mouth, the small like a finger; it is a treasure for craft processing.
4. Peach-silk Bamboo: leaves like palm, body like bamboo, dense nodes and solid, thick outside and thin-boned, a natural walking stick; produced in the Ba-Yu area; the kind produced in Yu has fine grain, one internode four chi.
5. Gold-inlaid Jade-embedded Bamboo: produced in Chengdu, no different from ordinary bamboo, but on the culm each node alternates two green and two yellow.
6. Filial Bamboo: culms slender and long, making large threads; in summer the shoots emerge from the middle, yielding to the mother bamboo; in winter the shoots protect from the outside, and the mother bamboo wraps them inside, hence it is called compassionate teaching.
7. Qi Bamboo: produced in Qizhou of Chu; the local people take the glossy, moist-colored ones to make mats, and the ones with sparse nodes to make xiao pipes (flutes).
8. Twin Bamboo: grows in Wulin West Mountain of Zhejiang; its wonder is in the slender bamboo and tender strips, sprouting in pairs and side by side, the color most lovely.
9. Dragon Duke Bamboo: produced in Luofu Mountain; its diameter is about seven chi, the internode length is one zhang two chi, and the leaves are like banana.
10. Bow Bamboo: produced in the East; the plant grows a hundred xun long, and its curvature is like a rattan shape; it must obtain a large tree, then leans on it and climbs up; its texture has grain.
11. Keting Bamboo: produced south of Yunmeng; its culms are set aside until after a certain number of years, then split into musical instruments, and the sound is the clearest and brightest.
12. Cinnamon Bamboo: from Nankang Prefecture; culms four to five zhang tall, about one chi in girth, shaped like licorice skin and red in color.
13. Simo Bamboo: the wonder is that shoots come from the nodes; after the culm has formed, shoots grow again from its nodes; produced overseas.
14. Plum-green Bamboo: its culms resemble Xiangfei but are slender, the skin has no spiral grain, and the color is also dark, and it is greatly inferior to others; it is mostly taken to make fan ribs.
15. Grand Master Bamboo: named for being tall and slender, with culms straight up to the clouds, and a girth of three chi; produced in Luyan.
16. Dragon Whisker Bamboo: grows in the valleys of Chenzhou and the three mountains of Zhejiang; less than one chi tall, and the branches and culms are as fine as needles; it can be used as a potted ornament, but in winter it must not be exposed to frost and snow.
17. Linhe Bamboo: its culms are so large that they reach ten armfuls, even more remarkable than Dragon Duke Bamboo. Produced in Linhe.
18. Lovesick Bamboo: from Guangdong; resembles Twin Bamboo but is somewhat larger; all grow in pairs facing each other.
19. Sparse-node Bamboo: its culms are the tallest, with each internode about one cun apart; from the south side of Limu Mountain.
20. Danqing Bamboo: from Xiong'er Mountain; its leaves have three colors, yellow, green and red, growing alternately.
21. Tongjie bamboo: Produced in Qinzhou, its culms rise straight up without nodes, and the center is hollow with no partitions; it is also a distinct species.
22. Ningbo bamboo: Its branches and leaves all resemble those of ordinary bamboo, but it bears red flowers that open like pomegranate blossoms; it is also a remarkable bamboo.
23. Pei bamboo: It was formerly said that this bamboo grows a hundred zhang tall and comes from a city in the southern wilds; this is appended here merely to record the marvel.
24. Flat bamboo: Its culms are extremely flat; it comes from Mount Kuanglu.
25. Boat bamboo: It comes from Yuanqiu, and it is as large as a bathtub.
26. Qiong bamboo: Emperor Wu of Han sent men to open a route and obtained Qiong bamboo staffs.
27. Guanyin bamboo: It comes from Champa.
28. All bamboos: none.
Famous types
Phyllostachys bambusoides, Phyllostachys glauca, spotted bamboo, Fargesia, Chimonobambusa, moso bamboo (Mengzong bamboo, nan bamboo), green bamboo, thorny bamboo, long-branch bamboo, ma bamboo, Gui bamboo, purple bamboo, phoenix-tail bamboo.
Bamboo is the general term for Bambusoideae, a branch of the grass family Poaceae, distributed in subtropical regions, also called bamboo or bamboos. Some are low and grass-like, while others are as tall as large trees. They usually grow in patches through underground creeping rhizomes. They can also reproduce by flowering and setting seed. They are perennial plants. The young shoots of some species are edible. About 150 genera and 1,225 species are known worldwide.
The classification system of bamboo is incomplete. Because of their growth characteristics, bamboos do not flower often, and their appearance is very similar, so current bamboo classification is based on the sheath covering the young shoots to distinguish and classify them. However, the traits of the sheaths are not stable, so in many cases this causes ambiguity, making it impossible to reach a unique conclusion on the boundaries between some bamboo populations. Please forgive the following incomplete statistics:
There are many kinds of bamboo, totaling more than 500 species, varieties, forms, and cultivated cultivars, most of which can be used for courtyard viewing. Famous varieties include: nan bamboo, phoenix-tail bamboo, small qinsi bamboo, Buddha-belly bamboo, large Buddha-belly bamboo, cold bamboo, Xiangfei bamboo, cold arrow bamboo, large arrow bamboo, Tang bamboo, Thai bamboo, large Thai bamboo, filial bamboo, ox-ear bamboo, square bamboo, Sichuan square bamboo, dragon-crutch bamboo, cart-barrel bamboo, green-skin bamboo, pink single bamboo, short-spike bamboo, yellow bamboo, variegated-stem yellow bamboo, giant dragon bamboo, crutch bamboo, smooth giant bamboo, broad-leaf indocalamus, mercury bamboo, human-face bamboo, moso bamboo, variegated moso bamboo, flower bamboo, purple bamboo, spotted bamboo, tortoise-shell bamboo, pale bamboo, firm bamboo, bitter bamboo, golden bamboo, tortoise-vein bamboo, silver-chain bamboo, jade-edge bamboo, tea-stem bamboo, arrow bamboo, foam bamboo, arhat bamboo, seedling bamboo, goose-feather bamboo, thorny bamboo, Philippine yellow bamboo, Chinese indocalamus, ink bamboo, etc.
Bamboo is evergreen through the four seasons, upright and elegant, colorful, and endlessly varied in form. Phoenix-tail bamboo has slender, graceful branches and leaves; qinsi bamboo has emerald-green lines inlaid on golden-yellow culms; Xiangfei bamboo has mottled marks on its culms, fresh and graceful; spotted-leaf bitter bamboo has white speckled patterns on its leaves; purple bamboo, yellow bamboo, and red bamboo have culms respectively tinged with purple, yellow, and purplish-red; flower-body bamboo has yellow lines inlaid on green culms; Buddha-belly bamboo has short, thick culms that bulge outward, like the big belly of an arhat. In addition, there are also dragon-scale bamboo, jasper bamboo, chicken-claw bamboo, and others, which are also rare varieties among bamboos.
Because bamboo does not flower often, the shoot season is short, and the timing of shoot emergence varies, it is difficult to collect specimens of all organs at the same time, which brings difficulties to research work and makes the study of the taxonomic system of Bambusoideae one of the more disputed parts of plant systematics research. There are about 70 to 80 genera and more than 1,000 species of Bambusoideae plants worldwide. China is the country with the richest bamboo resources and the longest history of bamboo cultivation and utilization in the world, and it ranks among the international leaders in bamboo research, bamboo forest cultivation, and product development, and is known as a "world bamboo industry power."
China is one of the world's central bamboo production areas, and is one of the countries with the richest bamboo resources, the largest bamboo forest area, the highest output, the longest cultivation history, and relatively high management levels in the world. Bamboo forest area accounts for 1/5 of the world's bamboo forest area. China has about 300 species of bamboo, and it is not only a major origin area of Asian bamboo but also a center of modern bamboo differentiation and distribution. Bamboo grows quickly; after cultivation it can be cut for use in four years, and one planting can be used many times. Because the material is easy to obtain, light, and strong, it has been widely used by humans since ancient times. From its culms, branches, leaves, sheaths, rhizomes, and young shoots, there are hundreds of uses in building materials, food, papermaking, packaging, handicrafts, and other fields. Therefore, bamboo is an extremely important economic crop. Archaeology confirms that our ancestors used bamboo for hunting and warfare ten thousand years ago. Bamboo slips, bamboo and silk, and writing brushes, these bamboo cultural utensils, recorded history.
In China, besides a large number of writings on bamboo in ancient books, scholars began modern taxonomic research on bamboo from the 1930s. The late Professor Geng Yili (1897-1975) edited in 1959 "Illustrated Major Plants of China: Poaceae," which made a preliminary systematic arrangement of the genera and species of Bambusoideae in China. At that time, 20 genera, 71 species, varieties, and types were included, among which were 12 bamboo species from Yunnan. According to the records in "Flora of China," the bamboo species now reported number 37 genera and about 500 species, with both the number of genera and the number of species accounting for 1/2 of the world's total, of which about 1/3 of the genera and species are endemic components.
More systematic research on Bambusoideae in Yunnan began to make great progress in the 1970s, among which the contributions made by the famous bamboo taxonomist Professor Xue Jiru were especially notable. He began this work in the 1950s, and by the 1980s had successively discovered 5 new genera, 6 newly distributed genera, and 120 new species. Systematic literature includes "Yunnan Bamboo Resources and Their Development and Utilization" (edited by Xue Jiru, Yang Yuming, Hui Chaomao, and others), "Bamboo Cultivation and Utilization" (edited by Hui Chaomao, Du Fan, and Yang Yuming), "Industrialized Utilization of Timber Bamboo Resources" (compiled by Hui Chaomao and Yang Yuming), "Industrialized Development of High-Quality Shoot Bamboo" (edited by Yang Yuming and Hui Chaomao), "Nujiang Bamboo" (compiled by Hui Chaomao and others), and other monographs.
According to ancient Chinese works "Detailed Record of Bamboo Manuals" and "Complete Book of Agricultural Administration": "The categories of bamboo number sixty-one, with three hundred and fourteen species." According to records: there are 65 genera and 1,250 species of bamboo worldwide. China is the country with the richest bamboo resources and has long been known as the "bamboo kingdom." At present, bamboo has 39 genera and more than 500 species, with a bamboo forest area of 7.2 million hectares, and its bamboo forest types, area, and stock volume all rank among the world's leaders. Zhang Qisheng, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and an expert in bamboo charcoal research, once said in an interview with reporters that bamboo charcoal products represent the current popular trend of consumption at home and abroad, that China's bamboo resources are very rich, and that the bamboo charcoal industry has broad market prospects. At present, bamboo in Taiwan, China can be divided into 5 genera, totaling about more than 170 species. There are six common major categories in Taiwan, China: Gui bamboo, Mengzong bamboo, thorny bamboo, evergreen-branch bamboo, ma bamboo, and green bamboo.
There are about more than 70 genera and more than 1,200 species of bamboo plants worldwide, mainly distributed in tropical and subtropical regions, with a few bamboo species distributed in temperate and frigid zones. Bamboo has high and very sensitive requirements for water and heat conditions, and the distribution of water and heat on the Earth's surface governs the geographical distribution of bamboo. Southeast Asia is located in the tropics and south subtropics and is also affected by the convergence of the Pacific and Indian Ocean monsoons, with abundant rainfall and stable heat, making it an ideal ecological environment for bamboo growth and the center of world bamboo distribution; bamboo is mainly distributed in temperate regions around 30 degrees north latitude.
Identifying the types of bamboo is done according to its growth characteristics. It is mainly identified from its reproduction type, the appearance of the culm, and the shape characteristics of the sheath. According to reproduction type, bamboo is divided into three major categories: clumping type, running type, and mixed type.
Clumping type
This means new culms reproduce from buds at the base of the mother bamboo. The new bamboo grows from the lateral buds of the culm rhizome of the old bamboo, so it appears gathered together, clump by clump. Folk call it "bamboo clump produces shoots." Examples include Ci bamboo, Yingtouchuang, ma bamboo, single bamboo, green bamboo, thorny bamboo, long-branch bamboo, Penglai bamboo, and others.
Running type
This means new culms reproduce from buds on the rhizomes (commonly called horse whips). Examples include moso bamboo, spotted bamboo, water bamboo, purple bamboo, and others.
Mixed type
This means it reproduces both from buds at the base of the mother bamboo and from buds on the rhizomes. Their long underground stems creep underground! New bamboo then emerges from these underground stems, so the new bamboo grows near the old bamboo and appears to grow independently, one stalk at a time. Examples include Mengzong bamboo, Gui bamboo, human-face bamboo, ink bamboo, Tang bamboo, square bamboo, bitter bamboo, palm bamboo, arrow bamboo, Japanese red bamboo, and others.
Distribution areas of bamboo
Bamboo belongs to the monocotyledonous grass family Poaceae. Bamboo is widely distributed and grows all over the world. There are about 65 genera and more than 1,250 species worldwide. Bamboo likes to grow in warm and humid climates, so it is mainly distributed in low-latitude tropical or subtropical monsoon climate zones. Asia is a center of bamboo growth, and bamboo is a specialty of the East. Taiwan, China currently has about 79 species growing, of which 17 are fixed species. They are distributed from north to south, and their traces can be seen from sea level to high mountains above three thousand meters.
World bamboo and its distribution
Bamboo is mainly distributed in tropical, subtropical, and warm temperate regions between 46 degrees north latitude and 47 degrees south latitude on Earth. In the world, apart from the European continent, native bamboo species dating from after the fourth glaciation can be found on all other continents. Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Fujian, Hunan, Yunnan, and Sichuan in China all have large distributions of different kinds of bamboo. The Asia-Pacific region and the Americas are also major bamboo distribution areas.
Bamboo originated in the tropics but still has strong adaptability, and is distributed from the tropics to the temperate zone. Some species can extend to cold temperate zones and the upper parts of mountains at elevations as high as 4,500 m. In the world, except for Europe, which has no native bamboo species, all other continents have natural distributions, but most of their species are concentrated in humid and warm tropical and subtropical regions. From a global perspective, bamboo can be divided into three major regions in terms of geographical distribution.
Asia-Pacific bamboo region
This region is the largest bamboo region, extending south to Singapore at 42 degrees S, north to central Sakhalin at 51 degrees N, east to the Pacific islands, and west to the southwestern Indian Ocean. It has about 40 to 50 genera and nearly 900 species of bamboo. The Southeast Asian part of this region is the world center of bamboo origin and also one of its modern distribution centers, especially central and southern Yunnan in China, where bamboo species are extremely rich and the floristic geographical elements are also relatively complex, with a large number of bamboo species of high economic value.
American bamboo
It spans South America, from southern Argentina at 47 degrees S in the south to the eastern United States at 40 degrees N in the north, with about 18 genera and 270 species in total. Bamboo is far less important in the cultural development, production, and daily life of the people of the Americas than in Asia.
African bamboo region
The distribution range of bamboo in this region is relatively small, from 22 degrees in the south to eastern Sudan at 6 degrees N in the north. The bamboo flora of the African mainland is poor, with few native bamboo species, but it forms large-area bamboo forests, or is associated with other tree species to form the lower and middle layers of mixed forests, while East Africa's Madagascar island has 11 genera and 40 species, far richer than the African mainland.
Distribution of bamboo in China. China is one of the countries with the richest bamboo resources in the world. In terms of distribution, it has obvious zonality and regionality and can be divided into 5 major bamboo regions.
Northern running bamboo region
It includes southeastern Gansu, northern Sichuan, southern Shaanxi, Henan, Hubei, Anhui, Jiangsu, as well as southern Shandong and southwestern Hebei, with about 10 genera, 29 species, 10 varieties, and forms of bamboo distributed. Bamboo in this region is mainly running bamboo, such as Bashania and Phyllostachys. According to the horizontal distribution of bamboo, it can further be divided into 3 natural distribution areas: the north subtropical Huai River and upper Han River bamboo area; the warm humid middle and lower Yellow River bamboo area; and the warm temperate Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia bamboo area.
Jiangnan mixed bamboo region
This region includes southeastern Sichuan, Hunan, Jiangxi, Zhejiang, and northwestern Fujian, roughly equivalent to 25-30 degrees N. It has the characteristic of mixed distribution of running bamboo and clumping bamboo, including both running bamboos such as Phyllostachys, Indocalamus, and Pleioblastus, and clumping bamboos such as Ci bamboo and Bambusa. This region is the area with the largest artificially cultivated bamboo forest area and the highest bamboo timber output in China, especially moso bamboo, and is the central area of moso bamboo distribution in China, with relatively developed bamboo industry production.
Southwest high mountain bamboo region
It includes southeastern Xizang, northwestern and northeastern Yunnan, and western and southern Sichuan, located in the Hengduan Mountain area. It is mainly dominated by sympodial running high-mountain bamboos such as Fargesia and Yushania, generally distributed at elevations of 1,500-3,800 m or higher. This region also has species of Indocalamus, Chimonocalamus, and Chimonobambusa distributed intermittently.
Southern clumping bamboo region
According to differences in bamboo species composition and habitat conditions, it is divided into two subregions. South China subregion: includes Taiwan, China, the Fujian coast, Guangdong south of the Nanling Mountains, and southeastern Guangxi, situated in the current subtropical monsoon evergreen broad-leaved forest zone and tropical rainforest and rain forest areas. Representative bamboos include clumping bamboos such as Bambusa and Schizostachyum. Bambusa has the most species and is the distribution center of that genus. This subregion also has mixed-type species with amphipodial rhizomes such as Sinobambusa. Southwest subregion: includes western Guangxi, southern Guizhou, and most of Yunnan, mainly clumping bamboos such as Dendrocalamus, Gigantochloa, Cephalostachyum, and Thyrsostachys, especially Dendrocalamus, which is the geographical distribution center of that genus.
Qiong-Dian climbing bamboo region
It includes the central and southern parts of Hainan Island, southern and western edges of Yunnan, and the southern edge of Xizang. The main characteristic of bamboo in this region is that it has many kinds of climbing clumping bamboos, such as some species of Melocalamus, Dinochloa, Schizostachyum, and Bambusa.
The region with the richest species of Bambusoideae plants in China is Yunnan, where 28 genera and 220 species have now been discovered and reported, with the number of genera accounting for 3/4 of the national total and the number of species accounting for nearly 1/2 of the national total. The academic community generally recognizes that Yunnan is one of the world's origin centers and modern distribution centers of bamboo plants, and it has the reputation of being the "home of the world's bamboos."
Yunnan Province is the richest and most special region for bamboo plants in the world, and is the origin center and modern distribution center of the world's bamboo plants. The distributed bamboo species reach more than 28 genera and 220 species, with the number of genera accounting for 40% of the world and 75% of China, and the number of species accounting for 25% of the world and 50% of China. Yunnan's richness in bamboo species is unmatched by any other country or region in the world; it is also a world-famous natural bamboo forest distribution area, with a bamboo forest area of 331,000 hectares, and is praised as the "home of the world's bamboos," the "home of large clumping bamboos," and the "home of ethnic bamboo culture."
The geographical distribution of bamboo in Yunnan can be divided into 7 regions: the southern Yunnan hot large clumping bamboo region, the southwestern Yunnan hot and warm-hot large and medium clumping bamboo region, the southeastern Yunnan hot and warm-hot large and medium mixed bamboo region, the central Yunnan warm medium mixed bamboo region, the western Yunnan warm-temperate small and medium mixed bamboo region, the northwestern Yunnan cold-temperate small mixed bamboo region, and the northeastern Yunnan cool small and medium running bamboo region.
Hundred Bamboo Garden
Bamboo originated in the rainy tropical and subtropical regions. Yunnan has complex terrain and large elevation differences, and its climate is affected by both the southeast monsoon and the southwest monsoon, all of which provide favorable conditions for bamboo growth. Therefore, Yunnan is the origin center of Asian bamboo and also the origin center of world bamboo. Many bamboos are distributed with Yunnan as the center or are endemic. Among Yunnan's bamboos, many are large and medium-sized bamboos excellent for both shoots and timber, as well as precious economic bamboos with extremely high ornamental value.
The Hundred Bamboo Garden was established in 1965 and has introduced and cultivated more than 250 kinds of bamboo. It has collected most species from southern Yunnan, Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan, and tropical Southeast Asia, as well as a small number of species from Yunnan. In the garden there are many precious bamboo species, such as giant dragon bamboo with culms as thick as 25 cm, Buddha-belly bamboo with internodes resembling a Buddha's belly, golden-and-green bamboo with alternating yellow and green, thorny bamboo whose branches are covered with hooked thorns, glutinous-rice fragrant bamboo used by the local Dai people to make bamboo-tube rice, and even the rare climbing bamboo that climbs trees and entwines branches, as well as phoenix-tail bamboo with strong Dai ethnic flavor.
Uses and functions of bamboo
Bamboo is evergreen through the four seasons and has a wide range of uses. In courtyards, it is an indispensable plant for accenting rockeries and waterside pavilions. Bamboo is evergreen through the four seasons and absorbs a large amount of water. Planting some bamboo in front of and behind the house can not only beautify the environment but also make it very shady in summer. Mr. Dongpo once said: "I would rather eat without meat than live without bamboo." This shows that bamboo is very closely related to people's lives. Phoenix-tail bamboo is widely planted along the Li River in Guilin, becoming a unique landscape. Anji Great Bamboo Sea, Shunan Bamboo Sea, and Gannan Bamboo Sea are famous bamboo sea landscapes in China.
Because bamboo material is elegant, its products are sturdy and durable, comfortable to sit or lie on, and inexpensive, and have a strong rustic flavor and ethnic atmosphere, it has generally been used by humans in daily life. The art of bamboo craftsmanship has accordingly been preserved, created, and continued. Bamboo grows quickly. In recent years, for environmental protection considerations, a large amount of furniture and paper has been switched to being made from bamboo. Bamboo can also be used to make handicrafts, musical instruments, and so on.
Bamboo art
Bamboo handicrafts include: bamboo slips, bamboo plaques, bamboo hanging pictures, bamboo slip calligraphy and painting, bamboo-carved brush pots, bamboo-carved liuqing armrests, bamboo root carvings, and various other categories.
Bamboo furniture
In ancient China, furniture mainly included mats, beds, screens, mirror stands, tables, chairs, cabinets, and so on. The mat was the oldest and most primitive furniture, first woven from leaves, and later mostly woven from reeds and bamboo strips.
Bamboo in fine art works
Painters of successive dynasties in China often took bamboo as their creative subject, such as Wen Tong (1017-1079), Ni Zan (1301-1374), Xia Chang (1388-1470), Zheng Banqiao (1693-1765), Zhu Xuanxian (1927-2002), and others. They all created many excellent works in this area.
In addition, it can be used for furniture, papermaking, handicrafts, musical instruments, as building materials to build sheds, floors, and so on, and as daily necessities such as brooms and cool mats; in recent years, bamboo fiber made from bamboo material by engineering methods through physical and chemical action has been used as textiles to make towels, clothing, and so on.
By roasting bamboo material, bamboo charcoal is made, which is used on many occasions, including removing environmental odors and for special-flavor foods. Activated carbon made by crushing and activating bamboo charcoal has good adsorption and purification effects and is used in automobiles and homes, as well as in sewage treatment and so on.
It is mainly divided into four major categories: for shoots, for ornamental use, for traditional timber use, and for industrial timber use:
For shoots
It is mainly represented by bamboo shoots and dried bamboo shoots. China's excellent main bamboo species for shoots include moso bamboo and early bamboo in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, and ma bamboo and green bamboo in the Pearl River basin, Fujian, Taiwan, China, and other places. Bamboo shoots are rich in protein, amino acids, fat, carbohydrates, calcium, phosphorus, iron, carotene, and vitamins B1, B2, and C, and are excellent health vegetables.
Bamboo green is a traditional Chinese medicinal material for reducing internal heat and cooling. The juice obtained by roasting fresh bamboo slices over a fire is called bamboo sap, used to treat cough and resolve phlegm. Bamboo shoots are a common delicacy. The seeds of bamboo are called bamboo rice, and because they are not easy to obtain, they are a precious delicacy.
In Japan and South Korea, some people use sea salt, yellow earth, and so on with it and process it in a steelmaking-like way into green bamboo salt (or bamboo salt), used as a seasoning and even added to personal hygiene products. Bamboo salt toothpaste is one of the better-known products among them. It is claimed to have effects of reducing inflammation and resisting bacteria, preventing allergies and cavities, maintaining gum collagen, and preventing gum degeneration and periodontal disease.
For ornamental use
It is mainly represented by ornamental garden bamboos, a type of garden-applied bamboo plant specially cultivated for viewing, generally with relatively unusual forms such as culms and leaf color. Common ornamental bamboos include: running types such as purple bamboo, moso bamboo, firm bamboo, Gui bamboo, and square bamboo; clumping types such as Buddha-belly bamboo and filial bamboo; and mixed types such as indocalamus and tea-stem bamboo.
Traditional timber use
1. Household items: bamboo brooms, bamboo fences, bamboo pig cages, bamboo greenhouses, bamboo waterwheels, bamboo vegetable baskets, bamboo ladders, bamboo rafts, flagpoles, bamboo stools, bamboo stacks, bamboo mats, bamboo mats, bamboo cushions, bamboo fans, toothpicks, bamboo cups, fishing rods, bamboo umbrellas, and so on.
2. Pure handicrafts: bamboo wind chimes, bamboo carvings, bamboo woven products, bamboo musical instruments, and so on.
3. Building material products: bamboo plywood, bamboo flooring, and so on.
4. Other timber uses: bamboo charcoal, bamboo vinegar liquid, bamboo pulp papermaking, medicinal use of bamboo leaves, and so on.
Industrial timber use
Although bamboo material has many advantages such as fast growth, high yield, strong toughness, and abundant reserves, its characteristics of being hollow, having many nodes, and being prone to longitudinal fracture make its performance in industrial application far inferior to wood.
In industrial application, the only bright spot may be bamboo pallet products. It is understood that the bamboo pallet products produced by Nanjing Hanqing Bamboo Industry Co., Ltd. have advantages such as being exempt from fumigation, high strength, strong load-bearing capacity, strong impact resistance, recyclable, easy to repair, waterproof, mildew-proof, and insect-proof, fully bringing into play the characteristics and advantages of bamboo material 100%, and are in line with the concept of green environmental protection.
In the near future, in addition to pallet products, bamboo boards will also be widely used in packaging boxes, vehicle and ship boards, container boards, building formwork, courtyard beautification, and various other fields. By then, the industrial application value of bamboo will be fully brought out.
Natural and rustic: Since ancient times, bamboo has been a symbol of elegance, chastity, and auspiciousness. In the eyes of poets, bamboo is lines of green poetry; under the brushes of painters, bamboo is a green scroll painting; in the hearts of farmers, bamboo is green wealth.
Characteristics of its uses and functions
Protecting nature: Bamboo is a resource with strong renewability, and its growth cycle is short (only 3-5 years). As long as it is harvested reasonably, it will not only not damage the ecological environment but also better promote the regeneration of bamboo resources, protect the environment, and achieve evergreen mountains and sustainable use.
Advocating nature: Bamboo flooring and bamboo decorative boards cater to the trend of modern people returning to simplicity and advocating nature. Bamboo has clear grain, a beautiful surface, natural color, rustic dignity, a pleasant bamboo fragrance, and an elegant and impressive texture.
Sturdy and durable: Bamboo flooring retains the inherent excellent characteristics of bamboo material such as high density, good toughness, and high strength, and has the features of durability, flame retardancy, bending resistance, insect resistance, and corrosion resistance. It is not only beautiful but also durable, and is recognized as a new type of decorative material.
Medicinal or dietary therapeutic value of bamboo
The medical information and healthy dietary information on Huahua Network are for reference only and cannot be used as a basis for diagnosis or medical treatment. Any health problems should be consulted with professional medical personnel, and treatment of any disease should follow a doctor's advice.
Ultimate flower-protecting task: To love yourself, start from reality and strictly follow a doctor's advice. Toward illness, do not be careless, do not delay, do not give up hope, face it bravely, use love to warm the silent world, and use your heart to care for the flower field within.
Food ingredients
Bamboo shoots are a common delicacy; the seeds of bamboo are called bamboo rice, and because they are not easy to obtain, they are a precious delicacy. Besides being ornamental, bamboo is also an excellent building material, and bamboo shoots are a delicacy that can be made into dried shoots or canned goods. It is mainly represented by bamboo shoots and dried bamboo shoots. China's excellent main bamboo species for shoots include moso bamboo and early bamboo in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, and ma bamboo and green bamboo in the Pearl River basin, Fujian, Taiwan, China, and other places. Bamboo shoots are rich in protein, amino acids, fat, carbohydrates, calcium, phosphorus, iron, carotene, and vitamins B1, B2, and C, and are excellent health vegetables.
The medical content on Huahua Network is for reference only and cannot be regarded as professional advice. Any health problems should be consulted with professional medical personnel.
Medicinal use: Bamboo green is a traditional Chinese medicinal material for reducing internal heat and cooling. The juice obtained by roasting fresh bamboo slices over a fire is called bamboo sap, used to treat cough and resolve phlegm. The underground stem of bamboo is commonly called the bamboo whip, and when it emerges from the soil it is called gou or shoot. "Compendium of Materia Medica" quotes Lu Dian as saying: "Within ten days it is gou, beyond ten days it is bamboo, hence the character xun follows xun." This accommodates its rapid growth. There are also many kinds of shoots, including winter shoots, spring shoots, and whip shoots, all of which can be used as food. In Jiangsu and Zhejiang folk practice, insect-bored shoots are used as medicine, called "insect shoots." Tender bamboo leaves, bamboo shavings, and bamboo astringent are all used medicinally.
Medicinal information on bamboo
[Nature and flavor] Sweet, slightly cold, non-toxic.
[Components] Shoots contain protein, amino acids, fat, carbohydrates, calcium, phosphorus, iron, carotene, and vitamins B1 and B2.
[Functions] Treats excessive thirst, promotes urination, clears the lungs, and resolves phlegm. Insect shoots are an effective diuretic, suitable for edema, ascites, swollen feet due to beriberi, edema from acute nephritis, wheezing cough, diabetes, and thirst with restlessness and heat.
[Edema and ascites (including ascites caused by nephritis, heart disease, liver disease, and advanced schistosomiasis)]
Take 60 grams each of insect shoots and aged bottle gourd, decoct in water and take. Or add 30 grams of winter melon rind for better effect. [In children with measles, rubella, or chickenpox at the initial stage, with fever, thirst, and difficult urination] Stew fresh bamboo shoots with crucian carp to make soup and have the child drink it; it has the effect of promoting rapid eruption and early recovery.
[Chronic diarrhea, chronic dysentery, and rectal prolapse] Eating rice porridge cooked with fresh bamboo shoots is effective.
[Deficiency-type restlessness and insomnia] Take 30 grams of tender bamboo leaf rolled cores and 3 grams of rush pith, decoct in water, and drink before sleeping.
[Postpartum deficiency-heat and restlessness, with heat in the palms and soles] Take 30 grams each of fresh bamboo shavings and bamboo leaf cores, decoct in water and take.
[High blood pressure, headache, red face, excessive thirst, and restless sleep at night] Take 30-60 grams of fresh bamboo leaf cores, 15 grams of Prunella vulgaris, and 9 grams of Sophora japonica flowers, decoct in water and take.
[Children's head sores, pemphigus, and impetigo]
Jujube and bamboo leaf soup:
From "Local Folk Prescriptions," use red dates plus washed bamboo leaves to make soup and drink it, which has a cooling effect, and is especially useful for children under 10 years old who develop small red dot-like blisters on the body due to excessive internal heat.
Bamboo flowering. Bamboo flowering.
Whether in China or India, there are legends that when bamboo flowers, disaster will follow. China often used to say, "When bamboo flowers, there will surely be great disaster," and India also has the legend that "when bamboo flowers, famine occurs."
Once bamboo flowers, nearby bamboo will also flower one after another, causing large areas of bamboo forest to die, which is bound to cause devastating harm to some animals that rely on bamboo as their main food. The first to suffer is the giant panda.
The saying often repeated by some elderly people that "when bamboo flowers, there will surely be great disaster" is not merely superstition or rumor. Scientists have found that before some catastrophic droughts, bamboo will flower on a large scale and wither. It is said that this is because bamboo can sense certain changes in the soil, so it migrates by spreading seeds to suitable new land, or waits in the original place for a suitable time (such as after the drought). In addition, there is also the term "iron tree blooms."
On the other hand, bamboo rice (the seeds of bamboo) is also excellent food for rodents. Scientists once calculated that when the once-in-50-years bamboo flowering cycle occurred in northeastern India, the number of rats increased sharply by 4 times. The sudden increase in the rat population caused the grain stored in villages to be consumed rapidly, leading to famine. Therefore, there is also a view that the occurrence of famine was only because of the sudden increase in rodents, and not because of natural disaster.
As for which view is true, there is still no definitive conclusion at present.
The flowering cycle of bamboo is quite long, usually ranging from several decades to more than a hundred years. The flowers of most bamboos are of a withered-grass color and are shaped like rice spikes.
It is known that Cephalostachyum scandens in the Gaoligong Mountains has bright red flowers.
Cultural background of bamboo
Bamboo. It is said that the great painter Zheng Banqiao would not live without bamboo, and he left behind a large number of bamboo paintings and poems praising bamboo. The great poet Su Dongpo left the famous saying, "I would rather eat without meat than live without bamboo."
Cultural significance
Confucius's student Zilu believed that he was like bamboo from the southern mountains, which after being sharpened could pierce the thick hide of a rhinoceros, meaning that his natural endowment was very good. "The School Sayings of Confucius" says: "Bamboo from the south of the mountain, without being bent, is straight by itself; cut it to make arrows, and when shot they penetrate." "Record of a Journey to Lingnan": "People of Lingnan should feel ashamed before bamboo. Those who eat use bamboo shoots, those who shelter use bamboo tiles, those who carry use bamboo rafts, those who cook use bamboo firewood, those who wear use bamboo skin, those who write use bamboo paper, those who walk use bamboo shoes. Truly, it may be said that not a single day can pass without this gentleman!" Wang Huizhi lived in an empty house and had bamboo planted, saying: "How can a single day pass without this gentleman?" [2]. "Old Book of Tang: Biography of Li Mi": "Exhaust the bamboo of the southern mountains, and the writing of crimes would still not be finished; breach the waves of the East Sea, and the flow of evil would still be hard to exhaust." Wang Bo's "Rhapsody on Ci Bamboo": "Like the linked bands of mother and child, like the harmonious friends within the boudoir; fearing that standing alone in beauty may bring danger, it often lives in groups and keeps itself." Su Dongpo said, "One may make one's food lack meat, but one may not make one's dwelling lack bamboo. Without meat one becomes thin; without bamboo one becomes vulgar." [3]. Also, in "Record of the Ink Lord Hall," he praised bamboo: "Through wind and snow's fierce severity, observe its conduct; on rugged cliffs and stones, bring out its integrity. When successful, it flourishes but is not arrogant; when unsuccessful, it withers thin but is not disgraced. In groups it does not lean; standing alone it does not fear." Wang Dangui's "Moon over the Qin Tower: Ode to Bamboo": "Its nature is chaste and pure; its soft branches and tender leaves are fit to be painted. Fit to be painted, it accompanies throughout the four seasons the wind and moon of the thatched hall. Solitary and lofty with strong integrity, naturally distinct; empty-hearted forever and ever without withering. Without withering, green shade sways, and auspicious sounds are pure and unmatched."
In Chinese flower-and-bird painting, the Four Gentlemen, plum, orchid, bamboo, and chrysanthemum, are important subjects, each representing certain virtues. The bamboo painted by the Northern Song painter Wen Tong was famous far and wide.
Many Chinese idioms mention bamboo: qingmei zhuma (green plums and bamboo horse), shiru pozhu (like splitting bamboo), and xiong you cheng zhu (having a well-thought-out plan). Bamboo, pine and plum are together called the "Three Friends of Winter." The hollow interior of bamboo was extended by Chinese literati to mean "humility." Bai Juyi's "Record of Cultivating Bamboo" says: "The bamboo heart is hollow, and its hollowness embodies the Way; when a gentleman sees its heart, he thinks of one who receives with emptiness." The bamboo's nodes were extended to mean "integrity"; bamboo's cold resistance and evergreen nature were regarded as "unyielding" [4]; bamboo's tall uprightness was regarded as "proud bearing"; bamboo's elegant and graceful beauty was extended to mean "gentleman."
Legend has it that before the invention of firecrackers, people drove away evil spirits with the crackling sound of burning bamboo. Hence the idiom zhu bao ping an (bamboo announces peace, or bamboo crackles peace), meaning to seek good fortune and avoid disaster.
Humanistic value
Bamboo: it displays integrity; though not thick and sturdy, it is upright, tough and tall; it fears neither severe cold nor scorching heat, and remains evergreen through all ages. Bamboo is the embodiment of the gentleman, the gentleman among the "Four Gentlemen." The seven virtues of bamboo: The bamboo's form is straight, preferring to break rather than bend; this is called uprightness. Though bamboo has nodes, it does not stop advancing; this is called striving forward. Bamboo is straight outside and hollow within, with a mind as broad as a valley; this is called humbleness. Bamboo has flowers but does not bloom, facing the sky with a plain face; this is called simplicity. Bamboo stands aloof and independent, holding up the sky and standing on the earth; this is called eminence. Though bamboo is eminent, it is not like the pine; this is called sociability. Bamboo carries writing and passes it down through the ages, bearing hardship without complaint; this is called responsibility.
Zhu bao ping an (bamboo announces peace). Zhu: bamboo slips. Zhu bao: an old term for a family letter. It refers to a letter reporting that all is well. Tang Dynasty, Duan Chengshi, "Youyang Zazu, Sequel, Zhi Zhi Xia": "In the north, only the Tongzi Temple had one clump of bamboo, only a few chi tall. It was said that the temple's administrator would report the bamboo's well-being every day."
Zhu bao song mao (bamboo dense, pine luxuriant). The foundation is as firm as bamboo, and the branches and leaves are as luxuriant as a pine tree. Used as a congratulatory phrase for longevity or the completion of a house, and also as a metaphor for a flourishing family. "Classic of Poetry, Minor Odes, Si Gan": "Like bamboo dense, like pine luxuriant." Ming Dynasty, Fan Shiyan, "Record of Polishing Loyalty": "Wishing for longevity and enjoyment, may bamboo be dense and pine luxuriant, and may the days and months be long."
Qingmei zhuma (green plums and bamboo horse). Qingmei: green plums. Zhuma: a bamboo pole that children ride as a horse. A metaphor for the innocent feelings of boys and girls playing together. Tang Dynasty, Li Bai, "Changgan Xing": "My lord came riding a bamboo horse, circling the bed and playing with green plums. Living together in Changgan Lane, two little ones without suspicion."
Mao lin xiu zhu (dense woods and tall bamboo). Xiu: long. Dense and tall forests and bamboo groves. Jin Dynasty, Wang Xizhi, "Preface to the Orchid Pavilion Collection": "This place has high mountains and steep ridges, dense woods and tall bamboo."
Shi ru po zhu (like splitting bamboo). The situation is like splitting bamboo: after splitting the top, the rest separates along with the blade. It describes winning victory after victory without obstruction. It also describes an irresistible momentum. "Book of Jin, Biography of Du Yu": "The military prestige has already been roused; it is like splitting bamboo, and after several nodes, it yields to the blade." Ming Dynasty, Shi Naian, "Water Margin," Chapter 99: "Guan Sheng and the others took advantage of the momentum and drove straight on, like splitting bamboo, and captured Dagu County."
Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove. A collective name for seven literati and famous scholars of the Wei and Jin period. "Wei Shi Chunqiu": "Ji Kang was on friendly terms with Ruan Ji of Chenliu, Shan Tao of Henei, Xiang Xiu of Henan, Xian, the son of Ruan Ji's elder brother, Wang Rong of Langya, and Liu Ling of Pei, and they wandered in the bamboo grove, and were called the Seven Sages."
Pine, bamboo and plum - the Three Friends of Winter. Pine and bamboo pass through winter without withering, and plum endures cold and blooms; they are called the Three Friends of Winter. Ming Dynasty, Cheng Minzheng wrote "Rhapsody on the Painting of the Three Friends of Winter."
Zhushan Ci. A title of a collection of ci poetry. Written by Jiang Jie (style name Zhushan) at the end of the Song Dynasty.
Zhupo Ci. A title of a collection of ci poetry. Written by Zhou Zizhi of the Song Dynasty. Zhou Zizhi, courtesy name Shaoyin, style name Zhupo Jushi, once fawned on Qin Hui, and contemporary opinion held him in contempt.
Zhu su. Bamboo slips and white silk, referring to books and history. Zhang Xie, "Miscellaneous Poems," No. 9: "Wandering thoughts in the ~~ garden, sending words to the forest of ink and brushes." "Baopuzi, On Immortals": "How much more so the ranks of immortals, who fill the ~~."
Zhu Zhi Ci. The name of a piece in the Yuefu "Modern Songs." Also called "Zhu Zhi Zi." It was a tune title in the Tang court music academy. Later it was used as a ci tune pattern. Sometimes the ci and song are together called "Zhu Zhi." It originated as a folk song in the Ba-Yu region (present-day eastern Sichuan). The Tang poet Liu Yuxi adapted it into new lyrics based on folk songs, singing of the scenery of the Three Gorges and love between men and women. Afterward, many poets of successive dynasties wrote "Zhu Zhi Ci," and they also mostly sang of local customs and love between men and women.
Zhu Wu Ting Qin. Full title "Qin Youran Listens to the Qin in the Bamboo Dock." A zaju play script. Written by Shi Zizhang of the Yuan Dynasty. It tells the story of the Daoist nun Zheng Cailuan playing the qin in a bamboo dock, meeting the scholar Qin Xiuran, and the two falling in love and marrying.
Cultural symbol
When culture is mentioned, people naturally think of writing, art, science and so on, but the emergence and development of culture cannot be separated from a given natural ecological environment, and is inevitably affected by many factors such as geography, climate, and plant and animal resources. Among the plant resources that have had the deepest influence on Chinese culture, none surpasses bamboo. The British scholar Joseph Needham put it well: East Asian civilization is "bamboo civilization." Chinese literati and artists endowed bamboo's growth characteristics - hollow, upright, evergreen through the four seasons - with personified spiritual and cultural symbols such as elegance, purity, humility, integrity and uprightness: "In severe cold and scorching heat it is always fresh; beaten by rain and broken by wind, it does not bend its body. In one night it shoots up a thousand chi; reaching the clouds with proud bones, all the more humble." (Zuo Heshu) And painting bamboo became an important category in Chinese flower-and-bird painting. In the Qing Dynasty, Zheng Banqiao was world-famous for painting bamboo.
In Chinese gardens ancient and modern, there is almost no garden without bamboo. If one lives with bamboo, then the secluded bamboo grove brushes the window, and clear air fills the courtyard; bamboo shadows dance gracefully, their posture enters paintings, and green leaves do not wither through winter, elegant and unrestrained. Through the ages, "in life it is precious to have bamboo in one's heart" has become the preference of many literati and refined scholars, who often use plum, orchid, bamboo and chrysanthemum to express their lofty and unconventional tastes, or as a mirror for their own moral character, such as the contemporary poet Zhou Tianhou's "Ode to Bamboo": "Bitter integrity is cherished by oneself; after rain there is even less dust. In the cold of the year we discuss the gentleman; emerald green weaves the new spring."
China is the homeland of bamboo. There are about 100 to 1,000 species of bamboo in the world, while China has 37 genera and about 500 species, mainly in the Sichuan region. Not only are bamboo and bamboo-quality resources abundant, but the history of cultivating and using bamboo is also long. An ancient folk song, "Tan Ge," sings: "Cut bamboo, join bamboo, fly earth, chase meat." This shows that as early as 7,000 years ago, our ancestors already used bamboo to make arrowheads, crossbows and other weapons for entertainment, hunting or war. Bamboo has formed an indissoluble bond with human cultural life, and in the daily clothing, food, housing and transportation of the Chinese nation, bamboo's graceful figure is everywhere. The great Song Dynasty writer Su Dongpo once exclaimed: "Those who eat use bamboo shoots, those who shelter use bamboo tiles, those who ride use bamboo rafts, those who cook use bamboo firewood, those who wear use bamboo skin, those who write use bamboo paper, those who walk use bamboo shoes; truly it may be said that one cannot go a single day without this gentleman."
Bamboo: it displays integrity; though not thick and sturdy, it is upright, tough and tall; it fears neither severe cold nor scorching heat, and remains evergreen through all ages.
Bamboo is the embodiment of the gentleman, one member of the "Four Gentlemen."
Bamboo, plum blossom and pine are the "Three Friends of Winter": pine symbolizes evergreen longevity, bamboo symbolizes the way of the gentleman, and plum symbolizes pure and noble character.
The ten virtues of bamboo
The bamboo's form is straight, preferring to break rather than bend, called uprightness; though bamboo has nodes, it does not stop advancing, called striving forward; bamboo is straight outside and open within, with a mind as broad as a valley, called humbleness; bamboo has flowers deeply buried, facing the sky with a plain face, called simplicity; bamboo blooms once in its life and dies without regret, called dedication; bamboo stands in the wind like jade, holding up the sky and standing on the earth, called eminence; though bamboo is eminent, it is not like the pine, called sociability; bamboo's texture is like stone, and only then can it be made into vessels, called firm nature; bamboo becomes a tally token, held by Su Wu, called moral integrity; bamboo carries writing and passes it down through the ages, bearing hardship without complaint, called responsibility.
When we stroll along a park path, or pass by a riverbank ferry, or tour the deep secluded places of famous mountains and great rivers, we may be happily intoxicated by the beautiful scenery, or perhaps worn out from the journey. Suddenly, several plants with strong, upright joints come into view: they stand straight and dignified, yet seem somewhat shyly to lower their heads, nodding and bowing to us; when a gentle breeze blows, their natural swaying up and down seems like bowing to us in salute. [6]
We suddenly feel: nature is also so attentive; we share a blue sky above and flourish together on the earth, yet they know how to put down arrogance and live in harmony, and even to passing strangers they are so humble and courteous...
Related poems
Ode to Bamboo (Qi Dynasty, Xie Tiao)
Before the window a clump of bamboo, clear and emerald, uniquely wonderful. Southern branches cross northern leaves, new shoots mingle with old stems. Moonlight, sparse then dense; wind sound, rising then falling. Blue birds fly without hindrance, yellow beaks peek alone. I only regret the sheaths that follow the wind, the roots and stems ever parting.
Bamboo (Liu Xiaoxian)
Bamboo grows in the empty wilderness, its tip rising a hundred xun into the clouds. No one appreciates its high integrity; it vainly embraces its steadfast heart. It is ashamed to be stained with the tears of the Xiang concubines, and shamed to enter the palace qin. If someone makes a long flute, it should pour forth a dragon's chant.
Rhapsody on the Tender Bamboo Before the Steps (Chen Dynasty, Zhang Zhengjian)
Emerald clouds, tips gathering in clumps, light flowers and tender shoots about to soar into the sky. Beside the winding steps, horizontal branches repeatedly shed their sheaths; at the steps, sparse leaves force their way in the wind. If you want to know where it embraces its nodes and becomes a dragon, it should be on the mountain road at Ge Pi.
Ode to Bamboo (Tang Dynasty, Li Qiao)
Tall stalks by the Chu River bank, graceful and holding the dawn air. White flowers sway in the wind's shadow, green nodes stir with dragon patterns. Leaves sweep the southeast sun, branches brush the northwest clouds. Who knows that on the Xiang River, weeping tears, one alone longs for you.
Poem on Planting More Than a Hundred Bamboos on the Left Side of the Prefectural Studio (Tang Dynasty, Linghu Chu)
In my studio dwelling I planted bamboo by the north window; on the plain wall a new opening reflects the fresh green. The green mist is near where I walk with medicine; the green shade reaches deep before my sleeping curtain. The wind startles the morning leaves like hearing rain; the moon passes the spring branches as if trailing mist. The old man remembers the mountains and his heart briefly eases; after retiring from official duties he sits at leisure facing the graceful bamboo.
Facing Bamboo at Baisha Lodge on an Autumn Day (Tang Dynasty, Xu Hun)
Soughing as it braves snow and frost, its dense green differs from the Three Xiang.
Sparse shadows shift on the wall as the moon moves; cold sound fills the hall with wind. Rolling up the curtain, autumn comes even earlier; lying on a high pillow, the night is especially long. Suddenly I remember the road to Qin Creek; ten thousand stalks are now just turning cool.
Eating Bamboo Shoots for the First Time and Presenting It to Those Seated (Tang Dynasty, Li Shangyin)
Tender sheaths and fragrant buds first emerge from the grove; in Yuling their price is weighed as gold. In the imperial capital and the land and sea there should be countless; how can one bear to cut a one-cun length of cloud-piercing gold.
Ode to Bamboo (Tang Dynasty, Zheng Gu)
It suits mist, suits rain, and suits wind; it brushes the water, hides the village, and mingles with pines. Transplanted, soughing, from a distant temple; washed clean, sparse and clear, revealing the front peak. Invading the steps, moss splits and spring buds burst; around the path, sedge is slight and summer shade is thick. Blaming the apricot blossoms for much sentiment, several branches pierce the emerald and are lovely together.
Bamboo in the Mountains on a Spring Day (Tang Dynasty, Pei Shuo)
Several stalks of dark green resemble dragons in form; their steep uprightness must be made to grow in this place. Countless wild flowers cannot bloom; the cold color of half the mountain contends with spring.
Ode to Bamboo (Tang Dynasty, Zhang Bi)
The color of the trees reaches the clouds as ten thousand leaves open; the prince does not tire of planting them all over the courtyard. Through frost it fulfills its integrity, seen by no one; all day it is humble and waits for the phoenix to come. Who permits it to add elegance and inspire poetic chanting; it pities itself for being unrestrained and emerging from the dust. Before vermilion gates there is much idle ground everywhere; it is just right to move clouds and stroke the emerald moss.
Frosty Bamboo Pavilion (Song Dynasty, Su Shi)
The new bamboo, shedding its sheaths, cannot hold itself; graceful, it already has the posture of winter cold. If you want to see its stern intent before frost, you must wait until the autumn wind and the falling powder.
Rhapsody on All Things in the Garden (Song Dynasty, Su Zhe)
In cold places bamboo does not grow; even if it grows, it often seems ill. Digging up roots and planting them by secluded steps, how fiercely it opens leaves. Graceful with the posture of ice and snow, scattered in the shadows of wind and sun. In flourishing abundance it appears lonely and deep, one stands against a thousand qing. It makes one remember by the river, dense and towering along the cliffs, strong. Without wind the sheaths drift by themselves, rustling and chirping on the wild path.
New Bamboo (Song Dynasty, Yang Wanli)
The east wind works its cleverness to patch the broken mountain; in one night it blows and adds several stalks of jade. Half shed of its brocade robe, still half wearing it; the sheath dragon does not believe in fearing spring cold.
Ode to the New Bamboo of East Lake (Song Dynasty, Lu You)
Inserting thorns and weaving a fence, carefully protecting it, cultivating cold emerald that reflects the ripples. A clear breeze sweeps the ground and autumn arrives first; the red sun travels the sky and at noon one does not notice. When the sheaths fall, one sometimes hears a rustling sound; as the tips are released, one first sees leaves spreading. With official leisure I want to come here frequently; pillows and mats should also follow me everywhere.
Wild Bamboo (Yuan Dynasty, Wu Zhen)
Wild bamboo, wild bamboo, utterly lovely, branches and leaves spreading with true form. In life it has always kept itself far from brambles, walking walls, hanging cliffs, piercing stone dams. Humble in heart and embracing integrity by the mountains and rivers, in clear wind and white moon it idly dances. What will become of its cold tips a thousand chi high? The Wei River and Qi River bays have much wind and mist.
Song of New Bamboo Shoots (Ming Dynasty, Yue Dai)
All through the grove yellow birds cannot bear to sing; below the grove new bamboo shoots are level with people. The spring wind closes the door and mountain hares run; in broad daylight dew drips and startles bamboo partridges. After three days of rain, spring has already passed; near the stone bed a few more have been added. They vie to raise their heads and horns toward the blue clouds, regardless of breaking the green moss before the steps.
Bamboo and Rock (Qing Dynasty, Zheng Xie)
Biting firmly into the green mountain without letting go, its roots are originally in broken rock. Through a thousand grindings and ten thousand blows it remains strong; let the winds blow from east, west, south and north.
Bamboo (Qing Dynasty, Zheng Xie)
One node after another, a thousand branches gathering ten thousand leaves. I myself do not bloom, to avoid provoking bees and butterflies.
The flower language of bamboo
Through the ages, in the minds of Chinese people, bamboo is the symbol of a character that is tough, upright and humble with integrity, and an ideal of personhood. In Chinese tradition, bamboo symbolizesthe elasticity of life, longevity, happiness and spiritual truth。
Bamboo, elegant and spirited, slender and graceful, evergreen and undefeated, symbolizes eternal youth and youthfulness; in spring (spring mountains) bamboo is unrestrained and upright, clear and graceful, with the bearing of a gentleman; bamboo is hollow, symbolizing humility. Its character is humble and able to hold itself; bamboo's quality is to bend but not break, and to break but not be severed, symbolizing the principle of being soft within yet strong, with cloud-reaching intent, resisting wind and snow, falling and still rising, with nodes always exposed and tips rising high, a metaphor for lofty integrity; noble and uncommon virtue, born with integrity, regarded as a symbol of moral integrity. Tang Dynasty Zhang Jiuling's ode to bamboo says, "People respect its high integrity; the world knows its humility" ("Harmonizing with Huangmen Vice Minister Lu's Ode to Bamboo"). Indifference, loftiness and uprightness are the personality pursuits of Chinese literati. Yuan Dynasty Yang Zai, "Inscribed on Ink Bamboo": "Its flavor is already indifferent, its color is not flattering. Growing alone among cliffs and valleys, it has this cloud-reaching spirit."
Bamboo, towering and upright, beautiful and varied, inspires reverie and deep thought. It is strong and upright, plain and unadorned, neither haughty nor humble. It "roots in the great earth, drinks sweet springs when thirsty, and has integrity before it emerges from the soil. Its branches stretch across Yunmeng, its leaves beat the blue sky, and even where it reaches the clouds it is still humble." It is regarded as the embodiment of the traditional virtues of the Chinese nation, symbolizing lofty integrity.
In Japan, bamboo is the emblem of truth and dedication. Throughout all regions of the East, bamboo was used as a writing tool; for Buddhist and Daoist writers and artists, bamboo's straight lines and hollow structure themselves have extremely profound symbolic meaning. Indigenous tribes of South America used bamboo as knives and axes to cut other objects, and also used bamboo to make blowguns and instruments for playing sacred music. Some tall bamboos are greatly worshipped and revered as trees of life. In Africa, bamboo also has a very sacred symbolic status, because people used bamboo to perform male circumcision.
Other information about bamboo
Bamboo clappers
Also called "kuaiban shu." One form of storytelling and ballad singing; during performance the hands beat bamboo clappers, accompanying in brisk rhythm.
Bamboo weaving
Baskets and basket products woven from bamboo strips; the handle part is a whip made of bamboo.
Bamboo flute
A flute made of bamboo
Qingzhu, a place name, in Linyi City
Bamboo raft
A raft bound together from thick bamboo. Also called "bamboo raft."
Bamboo shop
A shop that sells bamboo
Galloping to the bamboo shop and calling out. - Qing Dynasty, Shao Changheng, "Qingmen Shenggao"
Bamboo slips
Bamboo strips used for writing in ancient times
Bamboo basket
Drawing water: a metaphor for spending effort with no result
1. Tang Erguai and Tang Chunzao, father and son, year after year drew water with a bamboo basket and ended up with empty hands. - Liu Shaotang, "Emei"
2. Also written as "drawing water with a bamboo basket, all in vain"
Drawing water with a bamboo basket, all in vain. "Drawing water with a bamboo basket" is also written as "drawing water with a bamboo basket, all in vain."
Alas, this undertaking has all come to nothing, like drawing water with a bamboo basket! - Liang Bin, "Keep the Red Flag Flying"
Bamboo curtain
A curtain made of bamboo, especially one used at a doorway
Bamboo grove
Avoiding the sentries in the bamboo grove. - Song Dynasty, Wen Tianxiang, "Postscript"
Bamboo house
A small building constructed with bamboo as the main building material.
Bamboo horse
A children's toy, typically a pole with a horse-head model at one end and sometimes wheels at the other, which a child straddles and pretends to ride. A prop tied from bamboo strips, used in the folk dance Bamboo Horse Lantern.
Bamboo strips
Flat bamboo strips used to weave bamboo articles.
Bamboo tiles
Bamboo tiles refer to mahjong; bamboo articles are objects made from bamboo.
Bamboo qin
A Malayan instrument made from suspended bamboo tubes.
Bamboo shoots
Young developing buds sent out from the rhizome of bamboo, cut as a vegetable as soon as they emerge from the ground, especially eaten by Chinese and Japanese people.
Bamboo vine
A kind of Smilax with a four-angled stem and a star-shaped chaff-like base.
Bamboo tube
A vessel made of bamboo for holding liquids. Carrying a bamboo tube and a copper-wire cage. - "Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio, Promoting Weaving"
Zhuxi
A pavilion name. Outside the north gate of Yangzhou city.
The fine place of Zhuxi, the famous capital of Huai left. - Song Dynasty, Jiang Kui, "Slow Song of Yangzhou"
Zhuyeqing
A venomous snake with a green body, yellow-white stripes running from below the eyes along both sides of the abdomen to the tail tip, and a reddish-brown tail tip. It lives in trees in temperate and tropical regions.
A slightly yellow-green liquor made by soaking Fenjiu as the base liquor with various medicinal materials.
Arrowroot
A plant of the genus Maranta native to tropical America, a perennial herb with a fleshy rhizome rich in starch, which can be boiled for food or used to extract starch; it is cultivated in southern China. A general term for plants of the genus Maranta.
A type of paper made from young bamboo.
·Bamboo shoot soup (bamboo board); bamboo lady (a hollow, perforated bamboo-woven bed item); bamboo carrier (a bamboo-woven handled box); bamboo sheath (the skin of a bamboo shoot; shoot sheath); bamboo box (a bamboo chest); bamboo rod (a bamboo stick; a strip of bamboo split at one end, used as an instrument of punishment for beating people); bamboo fence (a bamboo hedge); bamboo skin (shoot shell); bamboo mother (a bamboo rhizome bearing shoot buds); bamboo craftsman (an artisan who makes bamboo ware); bamboo weaver (a handicraft worker who weaves implements from bamboo); bamboo mat (a bedding item woven from thin bamboo strips); bamboo mat (a coarse bamboo mat); bamboo hat (a hat woven from bamboo filaments or thin bamboo strips).
Bamboo criminal code
Criminal law provisions recorded on bamboo slips.
Bamboo and silk
Bamboo slips and white silk used by the ancients to record writing.
Bamboo books
In ancient times, before paper existed, events were recorded and written on bamboo slips.
Bamboo musician
A musician who plays bamboo-made instruments.
Bamboo and meat
Silk generally refers to instrumental and vocal music.
Bamboo pipe
Refers to bamboo-made wind instruments such as the xiao and the flute.
Bamboo pictures