The bamboos originated in the rainforests of South East Asia but have spread to surrounding areas. Their woody stems are used in a huge variety of ways and their importance to human beings is considerable. Climbing species of bamboo in the rainforest are often the same length, but with stems only 1.5 cm across.
Bamboos tend to spread by underground rootstocks .
In dry areas they can maintain themselves for centuries and because their presence often indicated areas of disturbed forest, thus bear testimony to ancient patterns of human interference. There are scores of species of bamboo, and their uses are endless.