Mondo Knows Facts
Some bamboo grows almost a metre a day
Fast-growing species can add 90 centimetres in 24 hours
Bamboo grows from a network of underground rhizomes, so each new shoot is supplied by an established root system. That lets certain species extend by up to 90 centimetres a day during the growing season. The record growth rate belongs to Moso bamboo, which is also one of the most useful construction grasses.
Where this comes from
Facts that can change over time are reviewed and updated. If something here looks wrong, Mondo would rather know than be confidently incorrect.
Go further
More facts like this
An adult human skeleton consists of 206 bonesInfants are born with around 270 bones which fuse together over childhoodHuman scalp hair grows at about one centimetre per monthHair follicles cycle through growth rest and shedding phases continuouslyFingernails grow almost four times faster than toenailsGreater blood supply and physical use stimulate faster nail plate growthPhotosynthesis turns light energy into chemical energyPlants convert carbon dioxide and water into glucose and oxygen using sunlightPlants look green because chlorophyll reflects green lightPhotosynthetic pigments absorb red and blue light while reflecting green wavelengthsCellulose gives plant cell walls structural strengthPolysaccharide glucose chains form rigid microfibrils that support plant architecture
Tags: bamboo, plants, growth
Some bamboo grows almost a metre a day: the short answers
- Where does this come from, and can I check it?
- Fast-growing species can add 90 centimetres in 24 hours. The figure is taken from Kew Gardens, which is linked in full on this page. Every fact on Mondo Knows names its source rather than repeating an unsourced claim.
- Is this really a records & extremes fact?
- Yes. It sits on the Records & Extremes shelf, one of 1,090 sourced facts grouped into space, animals, the human body, history, science and more. Category pages collect every fact in the same field.
- What else can I read about it?
- The links under the fact point to a quiz, game, puzzle or calculator on the same subject, and the shelf below shows related facts. The wording here is original, and quoted phrases are marked as quotations.