A survey on the history of the introduction of bamboo from China to the United States (1898-2010) and the application of bamboo in urban greening

摘要

With the development of botany and urban greening, Europe and the United States have conducted extensive collections of urban greening plants worldwide especially in China. Because of its unique ornamental value, economic significance and ecological benefits, bamboo has become the main collecting target in China and has been widely introduced to the United States. Studying the history of introduction of bamboo is vital for un-derstanding bamboo's redistribution and application in urban green space. Through a large number of literature reviews and extensive field investigations, we verified the scientific names of bamboos introduced from China to the United States, re-investigated the introduction places and dates, and counted the number of existing bamboos in the United States in an attempt to clarify the history of bamboo introduction from China to the United States and its application in urban greening. From 1898 to 2010, the bamboo introduced from China to the United States belongs to 29 genera (accounting for 85.3 % of the genera in China), 185 species (34.8 % of the species in China), 13 varieties, 20 forms, and 25 cultivated varieties. The bamboo was collected from 21 provinces, municipalities, autonomous regions and special administrative regions, almost covering the natural distribution area of bamboos in China. According to Inventory of Seeds and Plants Imported and Plantae Wilsonianae, 11 people have collected bamboo directly in China with McClure, Meyer and Wilson playing key roles. The time period of this research about bamboo introduction history spanned approximately 110 years with the main period centered from the 1900s to the 1940s, which affected by the historical background of the world especially China. Our research helps to get a better understanding of the bamboo, promotes its application as an ornamental in urban greening, and further boosts the integration of plant landscape diversity with plant culture.