Despite its appearance, the bamboo plant is not a tree. In fact, bamboo, of which there are over 1200 species worldwide, is a type of grass. The life cycle of bamboo is also unique in the plant world. Bamboo plants typically grow in colonies. When each bamboo shoot emerges from the ground, it grows into a culm, or stem, of the same diameter as the mature plant. This is quite unlike normal trees, which simultaneously grow in height and in circumference. For the next two months or so, depending on the species, the young bamboo culm grows straight up at a phenomenal rate, often reaching its mature height of between 3 and 10 meters at this stage. Some bamboos have been known to grow over 1 meter per day at this stage. After its maximum height is reached, the plant enters a period of stable growth where the culm hardens and sends out branches. It is now that leaves appear as well. By the third year of growth, the culm is fully hardened. It can now be use by be harvested for use by humans, for example as scaffolding on construction projects. The fully mature plant will live 5 to 8 years longer on average, until fungal growth causes it to decay and collapse. We should also note the most unusual event in the life cycle of the bamboo, which is mass flowering. Bamboo plants produce flowers only rarely, in some species at intervals of 100 years or more. All the bamboo in one colony will flower at roughly the same time, and soon after the plants will die. Scientists dispute the reasons for this odd event, which can have unforeseen consequences for humans and animals in the places it occurs. In any event, it is only the best known stage in the plant’s unusual life cycle. Unfortunately, many species of bamboo are dying out due to loss of habitat and consumption for human use.Being familiar with this cycle can help people cultivate this useful and attractive plant. In practice, while varieties of bamboo are found all over the world in warm and hot climates, it is only in Asia that the plant is systematically grown for use as food and building material.