Nature is amazing, and so is bamboo. Here at Zen Kōen, we value nature and are committed to sustainable and environmentally friendly practices. We want to capture these essences within our products - through the use of bamboo.
Bamboo is a rich versatile plant with amazing uses in many different applications for centuries. In fact, the origin of Bamboo stems from the Malay word "Mambu". In the late 16th century (1590-1600) the Dutch changed the name to "Bamboes" after which it got its Neo-Latin name "Bambusa".
The Bamboos (Bambusoidaea) comprises 1400 over different species in 116 genera. It is one of the 12 subfamilies of the grass family (Poaceae) and the only one to diversify in forests. Bamboo occurs naturally.
We will be sharing eight interesting facts about bamboo that you thought you knew.
1. Bamboo Is The Fastest Growing Plant On Earth
Bamboo can grow up to 1 metre in a 24 hour period.
2. Bamboo Is A Giant Grass, Not A Tree
Bamboo is actually a type of grass and not a tree. But most of larger woody bamboo species look more like a tree and are often known as "bamboo trees".
3. Bamboo Produces More Oxygen Than Trees
It produces 30 to 35% more oxygen than trees.
4. Bamboo Is One Of The Strongest Natural Resources
Bamboo is more durable than mild steel. The tensile strength, or the resistance of a material to breaking under tension, is 28,000 psi for bamboo vs. 23,000 psi for mild steel.
It has extremely strong fibre with twice the compressive strength of concrete, and approximately the same strength to weight ratio of steel in tension.
Bamboo is used to build houses and serve as scaffolding in construction sites.
5. Bamboo Is Anti-Bacterial
Bamboo grows organically, free of harmful pesticides and even fertilisers. Bamboo does not require fertilisers for optimal growth, as the discarded leaves of bamboo serve as nutrients when decomposed.
6. Bamboo Tolerates Extreme Conditions
Bamboo can withstand extreme conditions that it survived the atomic blast in Hiroshima in 1945 and other natural disasters as well.
7. Bamboo Is Used As Food And Medicine
Bamboo is used in folk medicine to accelerate the healing of infections and wound healing.
Bamboo shoots have been a source of staple foods for centuries, especially in the Asian culture. Bamboo seedlings are also a good source of healthy fiber and potassium.
A serving of bamboo shoots provides 10% of our recommended daily intake. It is also a favorite food of for animals such as pandas, elephants, chimpanzees, and more. With bamboo being the main source of food for pandas, they can still grow up to 90 kilograms.
8. Thomas Edison used Bamboo Fibre In the Invention of Light Bulb
Thomas Edison discovered carbonised bamboo filament in 1879 until it began to be replaced with longer-lasting materials such as tungsten in the 1880s and early 1900s that we know of today.
