The Tallest plant in the World- Grass- Interesting but true. The grass is probably the fastest growing plant in our garden. Sometimes it looks beautiful and forms the lush green beds in the lawn. Other times, it may be a headache to control the invasive outgrowth, especially in monsoon season.
Grass mostly belongs to the Poaceae family. Poaceae is one of the largest known plant family with almost 1000 genera and in these, you can find more than 10000 recorded species of grasses of different size.
Strange but true. The most common species of the grass family are wheat, rice, oats, maize and much more. Most of them are very important for our sustainability.
Today we are discussing the height of the grass. So plants like wheat or rice can attain height mostly to 4-6 feet’s. It is high, sometimes taller than us but, believe me, it is nothing in comparison to the tallest grass in the world.
Which is the tallest grass in the World? – The Dragon bamboo also known as Giant Bamboo or Giant Burmese Bamboo- Dendrocalamus giganteus is the tallest known Grass in the world. In Favorable Condition, it can grow maximum up to 40-45 m height- Average height 20-25 m. The tallest recorded Dendrocalamus giganteus was 42 m (137.9 feet) high was recorded in Arunachal Pradesh, India.
Is Bamboo a Grass? – It is strange but 100% true. All the species of Bamboo is a type of Grass. In fact, Bamboo is the tallest grass in the earth.
Bamboo is a perennial plant in the family Poaceae. There are almost 91 genera where more than 1000 species of bamboo are currently known and recorded.
These plants of the grass family are very versatile. You can find bamboo from high mountainous regions to low tropics and even near river beds. These plants are very drought resistant, but if provided favorable climate they can grow enormously high.
Actually, The Giant Bamboo also called Dragon Bamboo is the tallest Growing grass in the world. The scientific name of Giant bamboo is “Dendrocalamus giganteus”.The average height of this bamboo grass is 25-30 m but it is often recorded to grow taller than 35 m or 100 feet. In best possible conditions, where the temperature is warm and the soil is fertile and humid then the giant Bamboo can grow up to 40 m or 135 feet.
Average Length of Giant Bamboo Grass: 25- 30 m
The Average Size (width): 20 -30 cm Culms (Hollow center)
Average node Distance in Giant Bamboo: 35-40 cm
The average size of Seedlings to plant: 40 -60 cm
The average age of Seedling best for planting: 1-Year-old
Average space for clustering giant bamboo: minimum 5 *5 m area, 9*9 m area is best for timber production.
Best Soil for Giant bamboo: – Well-drained loamy Soils. But can grow near rivers or even in your garden.
Best altitude & Climatic Condition for Giant Bamboo: – Best growth in plains in tropical & Sub-tropical areas. These bamboo are fit to grow in areas with height up to 1200 m above sea level.
Use of Dendrocalamus giganteus, Dragon Bamboo or the Giant Bamboo
There are many uses of Giant Bamboo. The most important is the building material especially for bridges in native areas of its cultivation in India and China-most of southeast Asia.
Another use of these bamboos is for making buckets, hand fans, many handicrafts and even spears for hunting. Mats, sheets, and fans weaved from thin pieces of bamboo skin are very popular in local markets.
These bamboos are a very good material to support the roofs of temporary village huts. When used as support for walls and roof, these bamboos can stand alike for more than 3 years. Actually, these bamboos can sustain much stress than steel of the same weight.
The leaves of the giant bamboo are triangular in shape. It can grow up to 30 cm long. It is mostly used to cover the roofs and also to make walls of the huts in villages.
Where to find Giant Bamboo- the tallest grass in the world?
The best place to see Giant Dragon Bamboo or Dendrocalamus giganteus is Southeast Asia. Countries like India, China, Bhutan, Myanmar, and Srilanka is very famous for cultivating giant bamboo. In fact, the tallest of all was recorded in a village in Arunachal Pradesh, India; where one culm of giant bamboo had grown taller than 42 m or nearly 138 feet.
How to Identify the Tallest Grass In the world
Ok, it is very obvious that the tallest grass will be tall enough to distinguish. Other than that, It will look green- obviously it’s a plant so will look greenish. The giant Bamboo as we are discussing now is far too tall to be easily identified.
The Giant Dragon Bamboo looks grey green due to the white powdery substance in its surface. This substance is actually a composite natural pesticide that protects the bamboo from pest and insects.
Giant dragon Bamboo is similar to other Bamboo according to its structure. It is cylindrical round from outside and hollow from inside. These are found in groups of several plants together.
You can easily notice the Arial root growth of this bamboo up to the eighth node above the ground. A significant difference is the growth of branches. In fact, the branches or suckers are seen from the very first node above the ground in most bamboo. But in the case of giant Dragon Bamboo, you will see the bushy growth from the apical reason mostly. The top is always bushy and green.
The new growth of these plants looks beautiful blackish purple and are a very popular culinary item in the local community. People cut the soft and tender outgrowth – only the new plants not the branches, and make delicious food items. You can even have a bowl full of bamboo stew or even tangy sweet bamboo pickle.
Which Species of Grass grows the tallest? – The maximum growth among all Grasses is seen in Bamboo. In fact, the bamboo is among the fastest and tallest Growing grass in the World. Other than that there are few other Kinds of grass that can grow even taller than the tallest man in the world.
5 Tallest Grass in the World
- Dendrocalamus giganteus- giant Burmese Bamboo, dragon bamboo. Height: 100-135 feet
- Arundo Donax- Height: 30-35 feet
- Pennisetum pur-The Tallest Grass. Height: 25-30 feet
- Panicum virgatum ‘Northwind- Switch Grass, beautiful blue-green grass. Height: 7 feet
- Calamagrostis x acutiflora ‘Karl Foerster. Height: 6feet
Hope you liked it. Now it is clear that Dendrocalamus giganteus- The Giant Bamboo is the world’s tallest grass. If you know few more grass types of tallest grass that can be included in this list, then please let me know in the comments below.
Till then have a good day and enjoy reading Garden Bagan.
