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Is bamboo classified as a type of tree or a type of grass? |
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The short answer is that bamboo is a tree. However, in the scientific world
bamboo is classified as a subclass of natural grasses. Moreover, unlike
trees bamboo does not have growth-rings, and both the way it grows and
the changing of its leaves are different from trees. Additionally, most
trees grow from seeds, while bamboo produces young plants by extending
its roots laterally in soil. Although these characteristics make bamboo
seem much more like a grass, other qualities make it difficult to properly
classify as grass. Thus, bamboo is generally thought of as a tree that
exhibits many characteristics of other plants. |
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Does bamboo grow all over the world? |
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Although Japan and China are generally the countries that come to mind
in association with bamboo, it is also common in India, Malaysia and in
many parts of Africa and South America. Moreover, bamboo also grows wild
in areas of Europe, Russia, Turkey, North America and Australia. Some of
the commercially harvested bamboo grown outside Japan, such as that grown
in special groves in botanical gardens in Europe, enjoy a reputation for
exceptional quality. |
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What kind of bamboo was used by Thomas Edison as a filament for early electric
light bulb? |
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In his search to find a suitable material for making electric light bulb
filaments, Edison experimented with a wide variety of different substances
including human hair taken from the heads of men and women of different
ages. As is widely known in Japan, he also considered bamboo. Of all the
different types of bamboo materials he experimented with, raw bamboo harvested
from the Otokoyama Hachimankan shrine proved the best. In recognition of
this discovery, a monument to Edison was built on top of Otokoyama which
still stands today. |
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