Zhu zi (bamboo)

Kalila really enjoyed exploring this bamboo grove on Louguantai mountain. Bamboo is the fastest growing plant on Earth. Some varieties have been documented to grow up to 4 feet in one day! Bamboo also produces more oxygen than other plants. Its a great feeling to walk through the highly-oxygenated air of a bamboo grove. Because it is a rapidly renewable resource, it is a great building material. Young bamboo shoots are edible and Traditional Chinese Medicine and Ayurveda use parts of the plant as a tonic for respiratory diseases. Bamboo is long-lived and only blossoms once every 50 years. People do not look forward to the event. When bamboo blossoms the abundance of edible flowers leads to an increase in the rodent population. The rodents in turn devour crops and spread disease which leads to famine. Despite this rare occurrence bamboo is a highly valued plant for cultures throughout the temperate zones of Asia, Africa, Central and South America.