1. Bamboo Taxonomy and Distribution Across the Globe

Bamboo plants belong to the grass family and one of the subfamilies of Poaceae (Gramineae) and are one of the fastest-growing plants on the planet, with high rates of growth in tropical and subtropical climate regions. The bamboo plant or grass has cultural and ecological significance for many countries in Africa, America, and Asia, where it provides environmental, social, and economic benefits. Bamboos, therefore, grow in association with a wide variety of mostly mesic to wet forest types in both temperate and tropical regions, while some bamboos have adapted to more open grasslands or occur in more specialised habitats. Bamboo grows very fast, and, although the species type does have significant influence, generally, all bamboo matures quickly. This section of the book gives synoptic descriptions of this plant in respect to other grasses regarding its distribution across continents, morphology, and an updated phylogeny-based classification for the Bambusoideae. Emphasis is placed on an updated description of bamboo diversity regarding tribe and subtribe as well as the genera.