How many species of bamboo there are
Short answer: There are more than a thousand described species of bamboo spread across many genera. Only a small share of them are used for textiles, building or food, while the rest grow wild or are kept as ornamental plants.
Many species
Bamboo is a large group within the grass family with more than a thousand described species. They are spread across many genera, which botanists divide by features such as flowers, root system and growth habit. Even though the canes can look like tree trunks, the plants are close relatives of the grasses in fields and lawns. Read more in is bamboo a grass or a tree.
Great variety
The species differ a great deal. Some only grow a few metres tall with thin canes, while others pass twenty metres with canes as thick as a post. Some spread quickly with long underground runners, others grow in dense clumps and stay more or less in place. The size and colour of the leaves also vary a lot from species to species.
Different climates
Most species belong in warm and humid regions, where they grow all year round. A smaller group comes from cooler mountain areas and tolerates frost, and these are the ones that can be grown in northern European gardens. Climate therefore decides both where a species can grow and how much plant mass it produces in a season.
For textiles
Textiles mainly use sturdy species with a lot of mass, because it is the cellulose in the cane that becomes fibre. A species with thin canes gives too little raw material for processing to make sense. That is why only a handful of species are actually used in textile production. See more in which bamboo species is used for clothing.
Moso
Moso is one of the most widespread species in industrial use. It grows in large stands in Asia, forms tall and sturdy canes and is used for boards, flooring and as a raw material for fibres. When you read about bamboo as an industrial raw material, it is often Moso being discussed. Read more about the species in Moso bamboo.
For gardens
In Denmark, ornamental species are grown as hedges and screens. These are chosen because they tolerate frost and look good all year, not because they produce a lot of plant mass. Many of them only reach a couple of metres. Garden bamboo and textile bamboo are therefore rarely the same species, even though they share a name and a family.
Why it matters
Because the species are so different, the word bamboo on its own says very little about a product. A chopping board, a hedge and a T-shirt can all be called bamboo, yet they share nothing but the plant. For clothing, the processing decides the result: how the fibre is made, how the yarn is spun and how the fabric is knitted.
Browse the range
When choosing clothes, it is therefore more useful to look at fabric weight, knit and fit than at which species the fibre comes from. Feel the fabric, read the care label and choose a fit you are comfortable in. See the textiles in bamboo clothing for women or in bamboo clothing for men.
Frequently asked questions
How many bamboo species are there?
There are more than a thousand described species spread across many genera. They range from small ornamental plants of a couple of metres to giant grasses over twenty metres tall.
Are they all used for textiles?
No. Only a small share of the species have canes with enough mass to be processed into fibres. Most grow wild or are kept as ornamental plants in gardens and parks.
Which species is used most for textiles?
Moso is one of the most widespread species in industrial use, including for fibres. It grows in large stands in Asia and forms tall, sturdy canes with plenty of mass.
You can find the full range at Bamboo-Clothing.com.
