Giant bamboo

The most impressive plant in our palm house is a grass. The stalks of the giant bamboo grow 10-30 cm per day and reach the roof of the greenhouse within a month. If the gardeners do not cut the shoots back in time, they will easily break through the safety glass. The daily growth of this amazing species in the tropical greenhouse can be tracked using markings on a measuring rod.

The giant bamboo (Dendrocalamus giganteus) originates from Burma and Yunnan. It grows up to 35 metres tall, reaches culm diameters of up to 30 cm and culm wall thicknesses of up to 3 cm. This makes this bamboo the largest grass in the world.

Of course, people like to touch such an imposing plant. But care must be taken when touching the bamboo stalks. The nodes of the young shoots are surrounded by ligules like a cloak. These ligules are covered with fine needles that break off when touched, get stuck in the skin and can cause long-lasting inflammation. The sensitive bamboo shoots are effectively protected from predators by these cuticles.