Bamboo

The answer may surprise you. It is bamboo. Now I bet you are wondering why I am talking about bamboo, which is part of the Asian culture, when I have been writing about Tobago and the Caribbean. Too be totally honest it is because bamboo is widespread through the Caribbean and I was blown away when I learned it was considered a grass. I mean look at it. It is several inches thick and can be up to 40 feet tall.

There are over 1400 species of bamboo and they grow quickly. There is one species that can grow 36 inches a day….A DAY!!!! That is an inch and a half an hour, meaning you can literally sit around and watch the grass grow. Haha. Bamboo emerge from the ground at its full diameter and grow to its full height in a single growing season of three to four months.

Bamboo is used in construction throughout Asia as scaffolding and as actual building frames and rafters. This is due to it being hollow, making it lightweight but very strong. It is also used as food as people eat the shoots, use the leaves to wrap rice in, ferment the sap to make wine, and even cook in the stalks. There are many more uses for bamboo like clothing, weapons, artwork, etc.

I tell you all of this simply because I see bamboo all the time and am intrigued with it and wanted to share the results of my curiosity with my readers. If you found this blog interesting and informative I would love to read your comments below.

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