Bamboo grows in various heights, from 6 inches to 90 feet here in North America. There are even bamboo species with variegated leaves. The oldest culms are usually the smallest in size. This is due to the increase in the underground system of rhizome or roots. This increase of rhizome growth allows the bamboo to store nutriments and therefore produce larger plants until a mature culm size if obtained through out the grove.
Bamboos are evergreen and put on new leaves each year.
This new leaf growth happens during the spring time. This process is gradual and is highlighted by the appearance of a new carpet of golden brownish leaves within the grove. This period will vary a little with different species and local ecological conditions. Bamboo is the most widely used woody plant in the world, though it has never been used extensively here in North America. As our population increases, so does the importance of great yielders, such as bamboo.