The All-New Book of Amazing Facts, Volume 1

9 Did you know that bamboo is a type of grass considered to be the fast- est-growing plant in the world? Known for its tall, thick stalks, bamboo is a member of the true grass family known as Poaceae. In the warmer climates of Asia, bamboo can grow as much as 39 inches per day! How would you like to keep that grass mowed? Bamboo grows so fast, you can actually hear it growing—if you stand in a bamboo forest on a sunny day. There are around 1,500 known species of bamboo, which come in several different colors, such as black, green, gold, gray, red, yellow, and powder blue. The bamboo plant is also versatile, with an extraordinary range of uses—from garden tools and fishing rods to bird cages and roofing, to name just a few. In fact, during WWII in the South Pacific, the U.S. Navy used bamboo to reinforce concrete! Pretty incredible when you remember that bamboo is just, well … gigantic grass! Did you know that the Bible compares man’s mortal nature to grass? “All flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of the grass. The grass withers, and its flower falls away, but the word of the L ORD endures forever” (1 Peter 1:24, 25). Bamboo More Than Mere Gigantic Grass Animals & Biology