The bambusoid taxa have long been considered the most "primitive" grasses, mostly because of the presence of
bracts, indeterminate
inflorescences, pseudospikelets (units of
inflorescence or flower clusters and
glumes or leaf-like structures in woody bamboos that is similar to
spikelets or clumps of grass), and
flowers with three
lodicules (tiny scale-like structure at the bottom of a
florets or clump of grass flowers, found between
lemma, the lowest part of spikelets, and sexual organs of the flower), six
stamens, and three
stigmas. Bamboos are some of the fastest growing plants in the world.
B. vulgaris is a species of the large genus
Bambusa of the clumping bamboo tribe
Bambuseae, which are found largely in
tropical and
subtropical areas of Asia, especially in the wet tropics. The shoots emerge in a tight or open habit (group), depending on the species; common bamboo has open groups. Regardless of the degree of openness of each species' clumping habit, none of the clumpers are considered invasive. New culms can only form at the very tip of the rhizome.
Cultivars At least three groupings of
B. vulgaris cultivars can be distinguished: • 'Aureovariegata' (
B. v. var.
aureovariegata Beadle • 'Vittata' (
B. v. f.
vittata (Rivière & C.Rivière) McClure): A common variety that grows up to tall, it has
barcode-like striping in green. • 'Kimmei': Culms yellow, striped with green • 'Maculata': Green culms mottled with black, turning mostly black with aging • 'Wamin Striata': Grows up to tall, light green striped in dark green, with swollen lower internodes ==Distribution and habitat==