Bamboo', a kind of tree-like grass, which grows to a large size in the warmer parts of Asia and America. Some kinds are at least eighty feet high. It is used for a great variety of purposes, such as housebuilding, shipmasts, furniture, spear-shafts and walking sticks. As the stem is hollow and very strong, it is also used for water pipes. In some varieties a sweet juice is found, which in India is used for cooking.