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Bamboo
The bamboo are the tallest and the most graceful of the
Grasses, belonging to the family 'Poaceae'. It grows abundantly in the forest. There are about
30 genera and 550 species. Out of these 136 species occur in India. Some bamboo flowers once
during their life time and die out soon after flowering. Flowering takes place at an interval
of 25-50 years. But some species flower every third year and a few flower annually. Bamboo
seed germinate readily. Bamboo are best propagated by offset, cutting and layering.
Many articles of everyday
uses are made out of bamboo viz. Mats, baskets, toys, pipes, fans etc., Bamboo seeds generally
resemble those of rice, but are some what bigger in size. Bamboo grain are extensively eaten
by the poorer class during famine.
Bamboo forms a rich raw material
for the manufacture of Rayon. The stems of these are cut into fine pieces and chemically
treated to form pulp. The pulp is bleached and drawn in very fine threads. 'Rayon', is almost
as strong as silk. It is more resistant to perspiration and it is unaffected by salt and air.
Kept on display are the different varieties of bamboo.
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Dendro calamus giganteus
The Bamboo
The plant is a kind of bamboo tree
belonging to the family 'Poaceae'. The native of the plant is Malay peninsula; it is
cultivated in Malabar. It is the largest of the Indian bamboo. The culms reach 80 to 100 feet,
in height and 8 to 10" in diameter. The culm stem are used for posts and rafters in house
building, for carts, etc and the joints for piles, boxes, flower pots. This species is
exhibited in the Bamboo show-case of the Economic Botany Gallery.
Toy-dog
'Toys', are things of play and amusement for children. Their use has
survived from primitive cultures. Toys are now utilized not only for recreation and amusement
purposes, but also as a means to educate children. Toy Specimens depicting different types of
scientific and technological improvements taking place all over the world offer a good lesson
for children and enable them to improve their perception of things. The 'Toy-Dog' is made from
the underground rhizome of Bamboo plant which is exhibited in the Bamboo show-case, of the
Economic botany gallery.
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Bric-A-Brac Plants are closely linked with
man's life and not a day passes when man does not use plant products for some purpose or the
other. Collection of handmade articles like mats, bags, flower basket, laddle, rattan basket,
snuff bottle, case with cover, bowl and receptacle, which are made of plant parts like seeds,
fibres, leaves etc. along with supplementary materials such as photographs. These products
highlight and reveal to the visitors the interesting facts concerning the dependence of man on
plants.
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Mats
Along with basketry, mat weaving is
practised throughout India and among various communities. Mats of cane, grass, palm and date
leaf are made all over India. Mats are used as wall decorations, table covers, bed spreads and
for various other purposes. Floor mats are commonly made in South India. The finest counts are
made of the Cyperus monganisa and are either uncoloured or decorated with two plain bands of
red and black at each end. They may be made so fine that a mat sufficient for a man to lie on
can be folded like a cloth or rolled like a stick. The surface of the mat is softer than silk.
Mat are produced on a large scale in all parts of Tamilnadu. They are made of either
screw-pine, palm leaf, coconut leaf or out of cyperus species which grows wild. It is believed
that only the wild variety gives the finest mats. Under the 'bric-a-brac' show-case in the
Economic Botany Gallery, various miscellaneous articles made of plant parts are kept on
display.
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Economic
Botany