Actor and Department of Science and Technology (DOST) ambassador Marvin Agustin shared insight on what bamboo really is, to address the usual confusion about whether it is a type of tree or grass.
Agustin made the explanation via his Instagram page yesterday, Sept. 13, through a short video.
“Nakakabilib talaga ang kawayan dahil halos lahat ng parte napapakinabangan. Pero ano nga bang uri ng halaman ito? Puno o damo? Tama bang tawaging puno ng kawayan?” he said.
(Bamboo is really amazing because all of its parts are useful. But what kind of plant is it? A tree or grass? Is it correct to say “bamboo tree”?)
A DOST expert in the video then explained what bamboo really is.
“Ang kawayan ay isang damo. Hindi ito puno,” the expert said. (Bamboo is grass. It is not a tree.)
Calling bamboo as the “fastest growing grass on the planet,” the expert explained why it could not be considered a tree.
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“Bagama’t ito ay lumalaki na parang puno, ito pa rin ay hindi maituturing na puno dahil wala itong bark o panlabas na balat tulad ng sa puno,” she said. (Although it grows like a tree, it cannot be considered a tree because it does not have a bark or outer skin like that of a tree.)
“Ang mga bamboo rin ay hollow o butas ang gitna ‘di tulad ng puno na buo o solid,” she said. (Bamboo is also hollow in the middle, unlike a tree which is whole and solid.)
“Kahit paulit-ulit itong putulin o i-harvest, may kakayanan pa rin sila tumubo ulit at magbigay ng bagong sibol na kawayan,” she added. (Even if you cut it or harvest it, it has the ability to grow again.)
“Ito ay isang damo. Siya ay miyembro ng grass family,” the expert stressed. (Bamboo is grass. It is a member of the grass family.) JB
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