September
2003
Did you
know that Lucky Bamboo is not actualy a bamboo as this plant
botanical name is Dracaena sanderiana a member of liliaceae family?
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Âamboo
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Âamboo
Âamboo, plant of the family Gramineae (grass family), chiefly of warm or tropical
regions, where it is sometimes an
extremely important component of the vegetation. It is most abundant in
the monsoon area of E Asia. Bamboos are the the largest grasses, sometimes
reaching 100 ft (30 m). The stalks are round (rarely square), jointed,
sometimes thorny, and hollow or solid with evergreen or deciduous leaves.
Some types die after fruiting and some do not flower until they are about
30 years old.
Bamboo is considered the world's most
useful plant. In many places bamboo is used as wood for construction work, reinforcement for
concrete, basket-making, furniture, utensils, fiber, paper, fuel, and innumerable small
articles.
Bamboo sprouts are eaten as a vegetable, and the grains of some species
are also utilized for food. Young shoots are
also used for food by pandas and other
wild animals, cattle and goats.The bamboo has long been used for decorative
purposes, both in gardens and in art. There
are over 1000 species of bamboo in the world.
The most common bamboo is Bambusa arundinacea and the the world's largest bamboo
species is Dendrocalamus
Gigantus.
Recently a new
decorative plant called Lucky Bamboo become famous in every part of the
world. Well known throughout China, this plant is probably the
most popular indoor plant in China and is well regarded in art of Feng
Shui, in which part of the plant is regarded as a symbol of good luck. New
businesses are presented with towers of canes up to 1 metre high as gifts
of luck for the new venture and kept near the entrance of the business to
attract good fortune. Chinese New Year is celebrated with the gift of this
plant to bring good luck, prosperity, health (Chi), harmony, peace and
virtuous (Zen) relationship.
The funy part of this
story is that Lucky Bamboo is not actualy a bamboo as this plant
botanical name is Dracaena sanderiana a member of liliaceae family
originates from Congo and Cameroon Africa!
Source:
http://www.1upinfo.com/encyclopedia/B/bamboo.html
http://www.qbgardens.com/plantInfo/plantInfo.htm#bigbamb
http://www.tesselaar.net.au/plantprofiles/profile.asp?id=2
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