Bamboo is most often associated with Asian countries and furniture, but bamboo is much more than that. There are many uses for this misunderstood tree, and it those that only expect to find it in use in one part of the world are surprised every day when they find that it is being used every where. Here are seven things you don’t know about bamboo.

1. There are roughly 1,000 different species of bamboo.

2. Bamboo has been observed to grow as fast as 45 inches in one 24-hour time period, though most often it grows at a rate of 2-8 inches a day.

3. Though many cultures use young bamboo shoots in cooking, shoots of the giant bamboo contain measurable cyanide.

4. In many areas of East Asia and Indonesia, bamboo sap from young stalks is often fermented into a local treat of sweet wine.

5. In some areas of the world, the natural strength of bamboo is being used in scaffolding for both construction and maintenance purposes.

6. The main source of food for the enormous giant Panda is bamboo. They are known to eat the stems, leaves and shoots.

7. Carbonized bamboo was used as a filament material in one of Thomas Edison’s earliest incandescent lamps.

In many parts of the world, whole communities rely on bamboo for everything from a food source to a building material, and more. Bamboo is widely cultivated for its versatility, few other plants can be used in the wide amount of ways that bamboo can. Bamboo has earned its place as one of the most well used plants in the world as many people around the world have discovered the benefits that it has to offer.