Bamboo grows differently from most other plants and has a different structure than most plant groups. Bamboos are members of the grass family are considered the fastest growing plants in the world. Unlike trees, the canes are not separated into living (bark) and non-living (wood) sections. Bamboo canes have vascular tissue mixed throughout the wood.

Bamboo plants are able to grow very quickly because the entire grove is a single plant, with each cane attached to every other cane through an underground network of rhizomes. This structure allows the canes to work together to produce new growth.