Bamboo Species List

A Grass, Not a Tree: What Makes Bamboo Different

Bamboo belongs to Bambusoideae, a subfamily within Poaceae — the same family as wheat and rice. Scientists currently recognize around 1,662 species across 121 genera worldwide.

Unlike other grasses, bamboo species have woody culms, hollow internodes divided by solid nodes, and a rhizome network that spreads underground to generate new shoots.

It’s the fastest-growing woody plant on Earth, reaching up to 1 m per day. The rhizome system is what makes this speed possible.

Clumping vs Running — Two Ways It Spreads

All plants in the category fall into two main types: clumping and running. 

Clumping species have short rhizomes that curve upward into new culms, forming compact clusters. Running plants send long horizontal rhizomes underground, sprouting new shoots several meters from the parent plant.

Clumping species like Giant Bamboo form dense contained stands across tropical Southeast Asia. Running plants like Moso bamboo dominate temperate East Asia. 

How Tropical and Temperate Bamboo Actually Differ

Most bamboo plant names in the tropical category belong to genera like Bambusa (around 153 species), Dendrocalamus, and the South American Guadua — all frost-intolerant, producing culms of 33-98 ft (10-30 m) with thick walls and broad, widely spaced leaves.

Temperate ones are structurally smaller. Phyllostachys  (around 61 species) and Fargesia (86 species) produce culms of 16–90 ft (5–28 m) with narrower, more densely arranged leaves, and tolerate genuine winters. Some Fargesia survive temperatures as low as -20°F.

Colombian timber bamboo represents the tropical extreme. Umbrella bamboo is a good example of its temperate counterpart.