Bambusa vulgaris

Details Top

Internal ID UUID64402ee76a167248266807
Scientific name Bambusa vulgaris
Authority Schrad. ex J.C.Wendl.
First published in Coll. Pl. 2: 26 (1808)

Ethnobotanical Use Top

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General Uses Top

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Common products:
- Fresh bamboo shoots (young culms) are harvested, canned, fermented, or dried for use as a vegetable ingredient in soups, stir‑fries, pickles, and ready‑to‑eat snacks.
- Mature culms are cut into poles, boards, or sheets for construction scaffolding, temporary housing, and decorative panelling.
- Culm material is also converted into charcoal, biochar, and activated carbon for filtration and water‑treatment applications.

Industrial and craft applications:
- The high‑strength culms serve as structural components in building frames, roof trusses, and fencing, exploiting their fast growth and light weight.
- Bamboo poles are woven into baskets, mats, chairs, and other handicrafts; they are also split into thin strips for the production of traditional Chinese chopsticks and laminae for furniture.
- Processed culms provide fiber for the textile industry, yielding yarns used in fabrics, socks, and upholstery.

Food and beverages (non‑medicinal):
- After proper processing to remove bitterness, the edible shoots are sold as a canned or frozen vegetable in Asian markets.
- Industrial processing includes blanching, sterilization, and packaging; the product is listed on food‑product labels simply as “bamboo shoots.”
- In some culinary products, the shoots are sliced and incorporated into pre‑cooked rice dishes, noodle soups, and packaged meal kits.

Wood and fiber:
- The culm material contains cellulose (≈45–50 % of dry weight) and lignin (≈20–25 %), a ratio suitable for kraft pulp production; the resulting pulp is used for printing papers and corrugated board.
- Bast fibers from the outer culm wall can be extracted for use in composite boards, acoustic panels, and biodegradable packaging.
- The fiber’s tensile strength and flexibility support its application in woven textiles and non‑woven mats.

Properties relevant to use:
- High cellulose content and relatively low lignin make the culms amenable to chemical pulping, yielding strong paper fibers with low resin content.
- The culms have a moisture‑absorbing capacity of ≈60 % of fresh weight, influencing drying rates and storage requirements for edible shoots.
- The fiber’s high aspect ratio and low specific gravity contribute to lightweight, high‑strength structural materials.

Standards and regulation:
- Wood‑based bamboo products for construction are subject to national building‑code requirements and, where applicable, to the EU Timber Regulation (EUTR) for imported timber.
- Edible bamboo shoots are regulated as a food product under national food‑safety laws and must meet residue limits for processing chemicals (e.g., permissible levels of residual SO₂).
- Certification schemes such as FSC and PEFC provide chain‑of‑custody standards for sustainably sourced bamboo pulp and lumber.

Sustainability and sourcing:
- Bambusa vulgaris can be harvested on a short rotation (2–5 years) without replanting, making it a renewable source of timber and fiber.
- Sustainable management includes selective cutting to prevent soil erosion and the preservation of wildlife corridors; many plantations adhere to Integrated Management Plans endorsed by local forestry authorities.
- The species is listed as an invasive alien in several tropical regions, prompting source‑control programs to avoid unintended spread from commercial plantations.

Synonyms Top

Scientific name Authority First published in
Arundarbor blancoi Kuntze Revis. Gen. Pl. 2: 761 (1891)
Arundarbor fera Kuntze Revis. Gen. Pl. 2: 761 (1891)
Arundarbor mitis Kuntze Revis. Gen. Pl. 2: 761 (1891)
Arundarbor monogyna Kuntze Revis. Gen. Pl. 2: 761 (1891)
Arundarbor striata Kuntze Revis. Gen. Pl. 2: 761 (1891)
Arundo fera Oken Allg. Naturgesch. 3(1): 423 (1841)
Arundo mitis Lour. Fl. Cochinch. : 57 (1790)
Bambusa auriculata Kurz J. Asiat. Soc. Bengal, Pt. 2, Nat. Hist. 39(2): 86. 1870
Bambusa blancoi Steud. Syn. Pl. Glumac. 1: 331 (1854)
Bambusa fera Miq. Fl. Ned. Ind. 3: 418 (1857)
Bambusa humilis Rchb. ex Rupr. Bambuseae 50. 1839 [Sep-Dec 1839] ; preprint of Mém. Acad. Imp. Sci. Saint-Pétersbourg, Sér. 6, Sci. Math., Seconde Pt. Sci. Nat. 5(2, Bot.): 140. 1840; this is vol. 3 of the Sci. Nat. series.
Bambusa latiflora (Balansa) T.Q.Nguyen Bot. Zhurn. (Moscow & Leningrad) 72: 829 (1987)
Bambusa madagascariensis hort. ex Rivière & C.Rivière Bull. Soc. Natl. Acclim. France , sér. 3, 5: 631 (1878)
Bambusa mitis Blanco Fl. Filip. : 271 (1837)
Bambusa monogyna Blanco Fl. Filip. : 268 (1837)
Bambusa nguyenii Ohrnb. Bamboos World Intro. 4: 19 (1997)
Bambusa sieberi Griseb. Fl. Brit. W. I. : 528 (1864)
Bambusa striata Lodd. ex Lindl. Penny Cyclop. 3: 357 (1835)
Bambusa thouarsii Kunth Révis. Gramin. 1: 323 (1830)
Bambusa vulgaris f. waminii T.H.Wen et in J. Bamboo Res. 4(2): 16 (1985), with latin descr. and type. 1984
Bambusa vulgaris f. vittata (Rivière & C.Rivière) McClure Fieldiana, Bot. 24(2): 60 1955
Bambusa vulgaris var. aureovariegata Beadle Stand. Cycl. Hort. 1: 448. 1914
Bambusa vulgaris var. latifolia Balansa J. Bot. (Morot) 4: 30 1890
Bambusa vulgaris var. striata (Lodd. ex Lindl.) Gamble Ann. Roy. Bot. Gard. (Calcutta) 7: 44. 1896
Bambusa vulgaris var. vittata Rivière & C.Rivière Bull. Soc. Natl. Acclim. France sér. 3, 5: 640. 1878
Gigantochloa auriculata Kurz Prelim. Rep. Forest Pegu , App. A: cxxxvii (1875)
Leleba vulgaris (Schrad. ex J.C.Wendl.) Nakai J. Jap. Bot. 9: 17. 1933 (1933)
Leleba vulgaris var. striata (Lindl.) Nakai J. Jap. Bot. 9: 17 1933
Nastus thouarsii Raspail Ann. Sci. Nat. (Paris) 5: 441, 442 (1825)
Nastus viviparus Raspail Ann. Sci. Nat. (Paris) 5: 458 (1825)
Oxytenanthera auriculata Prain Bengal Pl. 2: 1234 (1903)
Phyllostachys mitis Rivière & C.Rivière Bull. Soc. Acclim. France , sér. 3, 5: 689 (1878)
Bambusa vulgaris var. latiflora Balansa J. Bot. (Morot) 4: 30 1890
Phyllostachys striata (Lodd. ex Lindl.) Nakai Sci. Educ. (Tokyo) 15: 69 1932
Bambos mitis (Lour.) Poir. Encycl. 8: 704 (1808)
Bambusa surinamensis Rupr. Bambuseae : 49 (1839)
Bambusa wamin E.G.Camus Bambusées 135 (1913)
Bambusa vulgaris f. vittata (Rivière & C.Rivière) T.P.Yi J. Sichuan For. Sci. & Techn. 28(3): 17 2007
Bambusa mitis (Lour.) Steud. Nomencl. Bot. 1: 100 (1821)

Common names Top

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Language Common/alternative name
English ivory bamboo
English bamboo (plant)
English golden bamboo
English bamboo
English nepalese bamboos
English yellow bamboo
English unarmed bamboo
English tiger stripe bamboo
English painted bamboo
English ornamental giant bamboo
English green-striped bamboo
English green stripe common bamboo
English golden common bamboo
English giant green-striped bamboo
English giant golden bamboo
English feathery bamboo
English dragon-head bamboo
English wamin bamboo
English buddha's common bamboo
English common bamboo
Spanish leleba vulgaris
Spanish bambusa sieberi
Spanish bambusa thouarsii
Spanish leleba vulgaris var. striata
Spanish arundarbor monogyna
Spanish arundo fera
Spanish bambusa auriculata
Spanish bambusa blancoi
Spanish bambusa fera
Spanish bambos arundinacea
Spanish nastus thouarsii
Spanish nastus viviparus
Spanish bambusa madagascariensis
Spanish bambusa mitis
Arabic خيزران
Arabic خيزران مبذول
ban tiing ampel
Bulgarian обикновен бамбук
Catalan bambú gros
Finnish paperibambu
ht bwa banbou
Indonesian bambu kuning (var)
Indonesian bambu ampel
Indonesian bambu wamin (var)
Indonesian bambu gading (var)
Indonesian bambu aur
Malayalam മഞ്ഞമുള
Malay buluh minyak
Burmese ရွှေဝါး
Portuguese bambu-listrado
Portuguese bambu-listado
Portuguese bambusa vulgaris var. striata
Russian бамбук обыкновенный
shn မႆႉသၢင်းၶမ်း
Slovenian navadni bambus
su awi haur
Telugu ముళ్ళవెదురు
Vietnamese tre mỡ
Chinese 大佛肚竹
Chinese 黄金间碧竹
Chinese 龙头竹
Chinese 泰山竹

Subspecies (abbr. subsp./ssp.) Top

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Varieties (abbr. var.) Top

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Subvarieties (abbr. subvar.) Top

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Forms (abbr. f.) Top

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Germination/Propagation Top

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Distribution (via POWO/KEW) Top

Legend for the distribution data:
- Doubtful data
- Extinct
- Introduced
- Native
  • Africa
    • Middle Atlantic Ocean
      • Ascension
    • Northern Africa
      • Libya
    • West Tropical Africa
      • Benin
      • Burkina
      • Ghana
      • Guinea
      • Ivory Coast
      • Mali
      • Nigeria
      • Sierra Leone
      • Togo
    • West-central Tropical Africa
      • Cameroon
      • Gulf Of Guinea Islands
      • Rwanda
      • Zaïre
    • Western Indian Ocean
      • Aldabra
      • Chagos Archipelago
      • Comoros
      • Madagascar
      • Mauritius
      • Rodrigues
      • Réunion
      • Seychelles
  • Asia-temperate
    • China
      • China South-central
    • Eastern Asia
      • Nansei-shoto
      • Ogasawara-Shoto
  • Asia-tropical
    • Indian Subcontinent
      • Assam
      • Bangladesh
      • East Himalaya
      • India
      • Maldives
      • Sri Lanka
    • Indo-China
      • Andaman Islands
      • Cambodia
      • Laos
      • Myanmar
      • Nicobar Nicobar
      • South China Sea
      • Thailand
      • Vietnam
    • Malesia
      • Jawa
      • Lesser Sunda Islands
      • Malaya
      • Maluku
      • Sulawesi
    • Papuasia
      • Bismarck Archipelago
      • New Guinea
  • Northern America
    • Mexico
      • Mexico Central
      • Mexico Gulf
      • Mexico Northeast
      • Mexico Southeast
      • Mexico Southwest
    • Southeastern U.S.A.
      • Florida
      • South Carolina
  • Pacific
    • North-central Pacific
      • Hawaii
    • Northwestern Pacific
      • Caroline Islands
    • South-central Pacific
      • Cook Islands
    • Southwestern Pacific
      • Tonga
      • Vanuatu
      • Wallis-Futuna Islands
  • Southern America
    • Brazil
      • Brazil Northeast
      • Brazil South
      • Brazil Southeast
      • Brazil West-central
    • Caribbean
      • Cayman Islands
      • Cuba
      • Dominican Republic
      • Haiti
      • Jamaica
      • Leeward Islands
      • Puerto Rico
      • Trinidad-Tobago
      • Windward Islands
    • Central America
      • Costa Rica
      • El Salvador
      • Guatemala
      • Honduras
      • Nicaragua
      • Panamá
    • Northern South America
      • Venezuela
    • Western South America
      • Colombia
      • Ecuador
      • Peru

Links to other databases Top

Suggest others/fix!
Database ID/link to page
World Flora Online wfo-0000853559
UNII WCD45M1BSK
Florida Plant Atlas 163
USDA Plants BAVU2
Tropicos 25509331
INPN 447898
Flora of Italy 11712
KEW urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:392574-1
The Plant List kew-399113
PFAF Bambusa vulgaris
Open Tree Of Life 1087322
NCBI Taxonomy 58168
Nature Serve 2.135869
IPNI 392574-1
iNaturalist 122530
GBIF 2705758
Freebase /m/03gq90p
EPPO BAMVU
EOL 1114100
USDA GRIN 6438
Wikipedia Bambusa_vulgaris

Genomes (via NCBI) Top

No reference genome is available on NCBI yet. We are constantly monitoring for new data.

Scientific Literature Top

Below are displayed the latest 15 articles published in PMC (PubMed Central®) and other sources (DOI number only)!
If you wish to see all the related articles click here.
Title Authors Publication Released IDs
Preparation of Filter Paper from Bamboo and Investigating the Effect of Additives Karchangi ZK, Nazarnezhad N, Labidi J, Sharifi SH Materials (Basel) 24-Apr-2024
PMCID:PMC11084598
doi:10.3390/ma17091977
PMID:38730784
Greening the pathways: a comprehensive review of sustainable synthesis strategies for silica nanoparticles and their diverse applications Saha A, Mishra P, Biswas G, Bhakta S RSC Adv 08-Apr-2024
PMCID:PMC11000228
doi:10.1039/d4ra01047g
PMID:38590352
Bamboo-Based Biochar: A Still Too Little-Studied Black Gold and Its Current Applications Alfei S, Pandoli OG J Xenobiot 20-Mar-2024
PMCID:PMC10971603
doi:10.3390/jox14010026
PMID:38535501
Chemical Characterization Analysis, Antioxidants, and Anti-Diabetic Activity of Two Novel Acidic Water-Soluble Polysaccharides Isolated from Baobab Fruits Song S, Abubaker MA, Akhtar M, Elimam AM, Zhu X, Zhang J Foods 17-Mar-2024
PMCID:PMC10969779
doi:10.3390/foods13060912
PMID:38540901
Folk Knowledge and Perceptions about the Use of Wild Fruits and Vegetables–Cross-Cultural Knowledge in the Pipli Pahar Reserved Forest of Okara, Pakistan Jabeen S, Arshad F, Harun N, Waheed M, Alamri S, Haq SM, Vitasović-Kosić I, Fatima K, Chaudhry AS, Bussmann RW Plants (Basel) 14-Mar-2024
PMCID:PMC10974405
doi:10.3390/plants13060832
PMID:38592859
Bamboo (Poales, Poaceae): An Important Maintainer of Immature Mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) in a Biodiversity Hotspot in the City of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Leite MP, Dias R, Leite PJ, Silva SO, Gil-Santana HR, Barbosa RP, de Mello CF, Alencar J Life (Basel) 07-Mar-2024
PMCID:PMC10971387
doi:10.3390/life14030351
PMID:38541677
Quantifying the Impact of Different Dietary Rumen Modulating Strategies on Enteric Methane Emission and Productivity in Ruminant Livestock: A Meta-Analysis Pepeta BN, Hassen A, Tesfamariam EH Animals (Basel) 29-Feb-2024
PMCID:PMC10931330
doi:10.3390/ani14050763
PMID:38473148
Durability, thermo-physical characteristics, and mechanical strength prediction of green Portland cement matrix incorporating recycled soda-lime glass and lead glass Yannick TL, Juste Constant EE, Pierre Boris Gael E, Andre William B, Luc Leroy MN, Arlin Bruno T, Ismaïla N Heliyon 15-Feb-2024
PMCID:PMC10884463
doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e26288
PMID:38404801
Evaluation of the Shelf life of Ready-to-Eat Fresh Bamboo Sprouts (Phyllostachys edulis) Packaged in a Modified Atmosphere or Vacuum: A Comparative Study Sicari V, Tundis R, Romeo R, Reitano A, Belsito EL, Leggio A, Loizzo MR Antioxidants (Basel) 01-Feb-2024
PMCID:PMC10885971
doi:10.3390/antiox13020185
PMID:38397783
Traditional utilization of bamboo in the Central Siwalik region, Nepal K. C. BM, Lamichhane J, Khanal SN, Gauchan DP PLoS One 30-Jan-2024
PMCID:PMC10826958
doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0296886
PMID:38289942
Lignin Extraction by Using Two-Step Fractionation: A Review Tanis MH, Wallberg O, Galbe M, Al-Rudainy B Molecules 22-Dec-2023
PMCID:PMC10779531
doi:10.3390/molecules29010098
PMID:38202680
Ethnobotanical and ethnopharmacological survey of medicinal tree species used in the treatment of diseases by forest-fringe communities of Southwestern Ghana Asigbaase M, Adusu D, Musah AA, Anaba L, Nsor CA, Abugre S, Derkyi M Heliyon 14-Dec-2023
PMCID:PMC10788458
doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e23645
PMID:38226220
Guadua angustifolia Kunth leaves as a source for bioactive phenolic compounds: Optimization of ultrasound-assisted extraction using response surface methodology and antioxidant activities Lozano-Puentes HS, Sánchez-Matiz JJ, Ruiz-Sanchez E, Costa GM, Díaz-Ariza LA Heliyon 21-Nov-2023
PMCID:PMC10709060
doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e22445
PMID:38076038
Glomeromycota associations with bamboos (Bambusoideae) worldwide, a qualitative systematic review of a promising symbiosis Sánchez-Matiz JJ, Díaz-Ariza LA PeerJ 09-Nov-2023
PMCID:PMC10640841
doi:10.7717/peerj.16151
PMID:38025720
Production of activated carbon from date palm stones by hydrothermal carbonization and microwave assisted KOH/NaOH mixture activation for dye adsorption Aloud SS, Alharbi HA, Hameed BH, Giesy JP, Almady SS, Alotaibi KD Sci Rep 04-Nov-2023
PMCID:PMC10625556
doi:10.1038/s41598-023-45864-z
PMID:37925477

Phytochemical Profile Top

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Below are displayed the proven (via scientific papers) natural compounds!
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Name PubChem ID Canonical SMILES MW Found in Proof
> Lipids and lipid-like molecules / Steroids and steroid derivatives / Stigmastanes and derivatives
(3S,8R,9S,10R,13R,14R,17R)-17-[(2R,5R)-5-ethyl-6-methylheptan-2-yl]-10,13-dimethyl-2,3,4,7,8,9,11,12,14,15,16,17-dodecahydro-1H-cyclopenta[a]phenanthren-3-ol 162965361 Click to see 414.70 unknown https://doi.org/10.1002/CBER.19761091016
17-(5-ethyl-6-methylheptan-2-yl)-10,13-dimethyl-2,3,4,7,8,9,11,12,14,15,16,17-dodecahydro-1H-cyclopenta[a]phenanthren-3-ol 86821 Click to see CCC(CCC(C)C1CCC2C1(CCC3C2CC=C4C3(CCC(C4)O)C)C)C(C)C 414.70 unknown https://doi.org/10.1002/CBER.19761091016
> Organic acids and derivatives / Carboxylic acids and derivatives / Amino acids, peptides, and analogues / Alpha amino acids and derivatives / Asparagine and derivatives
(-)-Asparagine 6267 Click to see 132.12 unknown https://doi.org/10.1002/CBER.19761091016
DL-Asparagine 236 Click to see C(C(C(=O)O)N)C(=O)N 132.12 unknown https://doi.org/10.1002/CBER.19761091016
> Organic oxygen compounds / Organooxygen compounds / Carbohydrates and carbohydrate conjugates / Glycosyl compounds / Cyanogenic glycosides
Dhurrin 161355 Click to see C1=CC(=CC=C1C(C#N)OC2C(C(C(C(O2)CO)O)O)O)O 311.29 unknown https://doi.org/10.1002/CBER.19761091016
> Organic oxygen compounds / Organooxygen compounds / Carbonyl compounds / Benzaldehydes / Hydroxybenzaldehydes
4-Hydroxybenzaldehyde 126 Click to see 122.12 unknown https://doi.org/10.1002/CBER.19761091016

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