Bamboo Resources

Worldwide bamboo plants are more than 70 genera, about 1,200 species, the total area of about 22 million hm2. Bamboo concentrated in Asia, Latin America, Africa. Most of them grow in tropical and subtropical regions with good monsoon climate and water and heat conditions, a few are grown in temperate and even sub-arctic regions. Southeast Asia monsoon zone (southeastern China, southwestern China, Indochina and the Indian subcontinent) is the world's bamboo distribution center, the region has concentrated 80 percent of the world's bamboo species, 90% of the total bamboo forest area. China, India and Japan are the best countries for bamboo production and bamboo resource development. In European, there is no natural distribution of bamboo species, and the remaining continents are natural distribution, but Britain, France, Germany, Holland and other countries in Europe started the introduction and cultivation of bamboo and grow well.

World Distribution of Bamboo

From a global perspective, based on the geographical distribution of bamboo, three regions are divided - Asia-Pacific bamboo area, American bamboo area and the African bamboo area.

(A) Asia-Pacific bamboo

This area is the world's largest bamboo area, south to south latitude 42°S, north to latitude 51°N, east to the Pacific Islands, west of the southwest Indian Ocean, the distribution of bamboo about 50 genera and 900 species, both bamboo species and bamboo forest area accounts is about 80% of the world's. The south-east of this area is the world's bamboo center of origin, but also one of its modern distribution center. The main bamboo producing countries are China, India, Japan, Myanmar, Thailand, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines.

(B) American bamboo

South to south latitude 47°S in southern Argentina, north to latitude 40°N the eastern United States, there are about 18 genera and 270 kinds. In Latin America, Mexico, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, Colombia, Venezuela and Brazil, the Amazon Basin in South Tropic of Cancer is the area of bamboo distribution center.

(C) African bamboo

This area has small bamboo range, south to south latitude 22°S in southern Mozambique, north to latitude 16°N in eastern Sudan, a total of about 13 genera and more than 40 kinds. There is few African continent bamboo flora and few native bamboo species, but form a large area of bamboo, or other species associated with the formation of mixed middle and lower classes, while in East Africa, there are 11 genera and 40 kinds in Madagascar, more than the African continent . Within this range, the west coast of Africa south of Senegal, Guinea, Libby Elijah, Southern Ivory Coast, Southern Ghana, Nigeria, Cameroon, Rwanda, Burundi, Gabon, Congo, Zaire, Kenya, Tanzania, Ma Ravi, Mozambique, until the east coast of Madagascar, which is the center of Africa bamboo distribution from northwest to southeast across the tropical rainforests of Africa and the plagioclase zone of evergreen and deciduous forest.