Bamboo Species & Identification
1718 different bamboo species are currently known and described. Here you will find a selection of the most important bamboos for construction or ornamental use.
What are the different types of bamboo?
Bamboo is one of the most diverse plant groups in the world, with over 1,700 bamboo species classified into 128 genera. Scientifically, all bamboo plants fall into 3 main tribes: herbaceous bamboos (Olyreae), tropical woody bamboos (Bambuseae), and temperate woody bamboos (Arundinarieae).
For gardeners, landscapers, and bamboo enthusiasts, these categories are often simplified into just 2 main types of bamboo plants:
Clumping bamboo – typically includes herbaceous and tropical woody species. These grow in tight clusters and are non-invasive.
Running bamboo – mostly temperate woody species that spread aggressively through underground rhizomes, often considered invasive.
On this page, you’ll find detailed guides on how to identify different bamboo types and species, along with their origins, growing habits, and practical uses. While some bamboos are native to Asia, Africa, or the Americas, others are cultivated worldwide for their versatility. Certain bamboo species are valued as ornamental plants, while others play a vital role in the food industry (bamboo shoots) or as a sustainable material for construction, furniture, and crafts.
Bamboo Identification
Is it possible to determine the approximate height of a bamboo culm by measuring its girth or diameter? Absolutely! In fact, bamboo is the only plant that exhibits a direct mathematical relationship between the circumference of its culm and both the internode length and overall height.
The best bamboo species for building and construction are found in the tropics, more specifically within the genera: Guadua, Dendrocalamus and Bambusa.
Of the 1718 known bamboo species worldwide, 101 species are recorded to have edible shoots. Edible meaning a satisfactory to delicious taste, because even though some bamboo shoots are classified as edible, they must be carefully prepared and boiled before consuming!
To identify a bamboo species you will need to observe all parts of the bamboo plant in great detail. Rarely can a single part of the plant be used to recognize a bamboo species immediately. Usually it is a combination of characteristics that lead to the correct identification or classification of a bamboo species.
Contrary to what many believe, bamboo doesn’t originate from Asian countries alone, it is also abundant and native in America. In fact the world’s strongest bamboo is American.
Landscapers, gardeners and garden books, frequently use common bamboo names to refer to popular bamboos. To help you find corresponding botanical names, the following list includes some of the most common bamboo names used in the United States and their botanical equivalents.
The bamboo rhizome is the underground part of a bamboo stem (culm). However, rhizomes are not roots, roots grow under the rhizome and culms erect on top of the rhizome.
The stem is the part of the bamboo plant that grows above the ground, it is usually straight and cylinder-formed (to some extent oval). These bamboo stems have nodes (diaphragms) between two internodes, that strengthen the stem.
Bamboo Genera
Bambusa is a medium to large size bamboo genus, and very popular among growers and cultivators. They are usually very strong and have thick culm walls, with small branches and small leaves.
The genus Cephalostachyum is a primitive tropical and subtropical bamboo. Species of this bamboo grow in dense clumps with thin-walled weak culms.
Bamboo species of the genus Chimonobambusa are running bamboos with swollen nodes that bear thorns in many species, they have 3 branches at the nodes.
Bamboo species of the genus Chusquea are mountain clumping bamboos native to the tropics and subtropics of South and Central America. Unlike most other bamboos, the stems of Chusquea species are solid, not hollow.
Bamboo species of the genus Dendrocalamus are large clump-forming subtropical bamboos with large branches and leaves, and are usually tick-walled. Most species prefer high humidity and mountain areas.
Bamboo species of the genus Fargesia are medium to small mountain clumping bamboos, found in the alpine conifer forests of East Asia (China, Vietnam, and Burma). In China they are known as 'jian zhu' (arrow bamboo).
Gigantochloa is a tropical genus of giant clumping bamboo, similar to the genus Bambusa. Bamboo species of this genus grow native in South and South-East Asia: Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, Indonesia, Philippines, Burma, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, China, India, and Bangladesh.
The genus Guadua contains the largest bamboos in tropical America. Stems can reach up to 30 m in height and to 20 cm in diameter. The name Guadua (pronounced 'gua-du-a') comes from the common name used by the people of Colombia.
Bamboos species of the genus Himalayacalamus are temperate mountain clumping bamboos. They are found growing at lower altitudes of the Himalaya; India, Nepal, Bhutan, and China.
Bamboo species of the genus Indocalamus are native to China, Japan, Vietnam and Sri Lanka. The name Indocalamus derives from the Latin words "indo", of India (in its ancient sense: extending from the East Indies to China), and "calamus" (Greek: kalamos) reed.
Nastus is a genus of slender, erect, scrambling or climbing bamboo. It comprises of 12 species, mainly found in the tropical mountain forests of the Southern Hemisphere from Madagascar and Réunion to Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands.
Otatea is a genus of clumping bamboos native to Mexico, Honduras, El Salvador and possibly Nicaragua and Costa Rica as well. The name derives from the nahuatl otatl, meaning "bamboo".
Phyllostachys comes from 'phyllon', meaning leaf, and 'stachys', meaning spike. In China, where this bamboo grows native, it is also called Gangzhu Shu, meaning firm bamboo genus.
20 bamboo species are currently assigned to the genus Pseudosasa. These bamboos are small to medium running bamboo, originating in Japan, China, and Korea.
Bamboo species of the genus Schizostachyum are tall or shrub-like tropical clumping, and sometimes climbing bamboos. They grow native in the tropical and subtropical regions from Madagascar to the Pacific Islands with South-East Asia as the centre of distribution.
Semiarundinaria is a genus of tall or shrubby running bamboos. The species are found in temperate and subtropical regions of China and Japan.
Thamnocalamus is a genus of clumping bamboo. The generic name, derives from the Greek "thamnos" (thicket, shrubbery), and "kalamos" (Latinised "calamus", reed, cane), referring to the habit of the species.
Bamboo species form the genus Yushania are spreading temperate to subtropical bamboos, native from the Himalayas to Taiwan and the Philippines. They also occur in Southeast Africa and Madagascar.
Bamboo Species
Bambusa
Chusquea
Dendrocalamus
Gigantochloa
Guadua
Phyllostachys
Schizostachyum
Discover the top 40 bamboo species ideal for commercial farming. Explore the diverse range of bamboo varieties with high potential for large-scale cultivation, offering sustainable solutions for various industries.