What is a bamboo?

The bamboos (Poaceae: Bambusoideae) are grasses that evolved in and adapted to forest habitats (though some species can now be found in more open environments). There are over 1,500 species of bamboo worldwide, around a third of which are native to the western hemisphere including one genus with three species (Arundinaria; "cane") that is native to what is now the southeastern continental United States.