How many species of bamboo there are

Short answer: There are over a thousand species of bamboo. Very few are used for textiles, where mainly species with sturdy stalks and a high cellulose content are used.

Over a thousand species in the family

Bamboo is a large family within the grasses, with species ranging from small shrubs under a metre to stalks several metres tall. Some species are thin and flexible, while others have thick, woody stalks that resemble a small tree more than grass facts about bamboo.

Only a few are used for textiles

Textile production uses species with sturdy stalks and a high proportion of cellulose in the tissue. Most of the over a thousand species are unsuitable, either because the stalks are too thin or because the cellulose content is too low to make large-scale processing profitable.

Which properties matter

It is not appearance but the inner structure of the tissue that decides whether a species is suitable. High cellulose content means more usable raw material per stalk, and sturdy stalks mean the harvest can be mechanised instead of requiring hand labour for every single plant.

Ornamental bamboo is a different matter

The species sold as ornamental plants in gardens are rarely the same ones used industrially for textile fibre. They are chosen for appearance, colour, and hardiness in the local climate, rather than for stalk thickness or cellulose content, which is what matters for textile production.

How the species differ in practice

Some bamboo species grow in tight clumps, while others spread with running roots across large areas. This difference matters for cultivation and harvesting, but not for the finished textile fibre, which ends up with the same properties regardless of how the plant grew out of the ground.

The species does not change the fibre

Once the cellulose has been extracted and respun, the properties are determined by the processing, not by which species the stalk came from. Two different species can therefore end up as nearly identical fibres if they go through the same process how bamboo viscose is made.

Why that is not a problem

The fact that many different species can be used makes the supply more stable. Producers are not dependent on a single species, but can choose among several species that meet the same requirements for stalk strength and cellulose content.

What you can read from the label

The labelling on clothing states the fibre, not the species the bamboo came from. There is no requirement to state which of the over a thousand species was used, because it does not change the fibre's properties in the finished fabric bamboo underwear for men.

What it means for you as a buyer

You do not need to worry about which species your clothing came from. See washing and care for how best to look after the fibre, regardless of which of the many bamboo species originally supplied the cellulose for the yarn washing and care.