Distribution and Habitat
The origin of the species is unknown, although it is believed to have originated in one of tropical Asia, southern China, or Madagascar.
Common bamboo is the most widely grown bamboo throughout the tropics and subtropics. Although mostly known only from cultivation, spontaneous (non-domesticated), escaped, and naturalized populations exist throughout the tropics and sub-tropics in and outside Asia. B. vulgaris is widely cultivated in East, Southeast and South Asia, as well as tropical Africa including Madagascar. It is highly concentrated in the Indo-Malayan rainforests. The species is one of the most successful bamboos in Pakistan, Tanzania, and Brazil.
Popular as a hothouse plant by the 1700s, it was one of the earliest bamboo species introduced into Europe. It is believed to have been introduced to Hawaii in the time of Captain James Cook (the late 18th century), and is the most popular ornamental plant there. B. vulgaris is widely cultivated in the USA and Puerto Rico, apparently since introduction by Spaniards in 1840. It may have been the first foreign species introduced into the United States by Europeans.
Read more about this topic: Bambusa Vulgaris
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