High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! Bamboo listen (help·info) is a group of woody perennial grasses in the true grass family Poaceae, which is a large family with over 10,000 species. In the tribe Bambuseae also known as Bamboo, there are 91 genera and over 1,000 species. The size of bamboo varies from small annuals to giant timber bamboo. Bamboo evolved only 30 to 40 million years ago, after the demise of the dinosaurs. Bamboo is the fastest growing woody plant in the world. It can grow up to 3–4 feet/day (1.5-2.0 inches/hr).