Bamboo is widely regarded as the fastest-growing plant, with some species growing nearly 1 metre in a day.
Bamboos are woody grasses in the subfamily Bambusoideae. Their underground rhizomes support rapid production of new shoots, and a shoot can extend dramatically before its hollow stem fully hardens. Guinness World Records has listed growth rates approaching 91 centimetres per day for certain bamboo species under favorable conditions.
The exact rate depends on species, climate, water, soil, and whether the measurement concerns a single shoot. Bamboo is therefore not uniformly the fastest-growing plant in every setting. More than 1,000 species occur across tropical, subtropical, and temperate regions. People use bamboo for construction, flooring, paper, food, musical instruments, and garden planting.