Cane vs Bamboo
Bamboo and cane are two species of grass that are used in day to day life for a myriad of purposes. At first glance, it may be extremely difficult to tell these two apart. Which is why discerning the difference between bamboo and cane in depth is necessary when it comes to discerning one from the other.
What is Cane?
What is usually referred to as cane belongs to the family of Poaceae and can be either of the two genera of perennial grasses with tall, flexible, woody stalks. Cane largely grows in largely riparian stands known as canebrakes and can be found in abundance in Southern and Far Western United States.
Cane is also a commonly used name for a climbing or trailing plant in the palm family, primarily of the genus Calamus out of which rattan furniture is produced.
Cane is used for a myriad of purposes. They can be fashioned into crutches, walking sticks, judicial canes, etc. as well as for weaving baskets, boats, furniture as well as for roofing purposes.
What is Bamboo?
Bamboo can be defined as a tribe of flowering perennial evergreen plants belonging to the subfamily Bambusoideae, tribe Bambuseae of the grass family of Poaceae of which the largest members are the giant bamboos. Known as some of the fastest growing plants in the world, bamboos are very much culturally and economically significant in Asia where it is used as a food source, building material as well as a versatile raw product out of which many products can be manufactured.
Featuring a higher compressive strength than brick, wood or concrete and a tensile strength that rivals steel, bamboo is a popular choice of flooring and building material not only in Asia, but also all over the world today. Soft bamboo stems, shoots and leaves are the favourite food the red panda of Nepal, giant panda of China, and the bamboo lemurs in Madagascar. Bamboo that is cultivated as timber belongs to the genus Phyllostachys and is known as the timber bamboos. Sturdy bamboo stems have always been used as scaffolding while bamboo fibres are used for producing textiles, as well as paper. Bamboos are also popularly used for the making of musical instruments all over the world.
What is the difference between Cane and Bamboo ?
Both bamboo and cane belong to the grass family of Poaceae because of which their appearance seems quite similar. However, there are several distinct characteristics to both these species that can be used to set them apart.
• Bamboo belongs to the subfamily Bambusoideae, tribe Bambuseae of the grass family of Poaceae. Cane can be either of the two genera of perennial grasses of the family Poaceae.
• In general use, the word cane is also used for rattan a climbing or trailing plant in the palm family, primarily of the genus Calamus.
• Cane is a flexible material that is often used for a myriad of purposes such as the making of walking sticks, crutches as well as for weaving into baskets, boats, etc. bamboo is more brittle than cane and can only be used as flooring and roofing material. Bamboo cannot be weaved.