There is something that many consider fascinating about the largest member of the grass family, and with its many uses throughout the centuries, it is no wonder that bamboo takes on an almost mystical quality. With nearly a thousands of species, it has many uses including as a building material, as food and drinks and in gardens as decorative growths or through garden decorations. For thousands of years bamboo supplied many in the eastern cultures with a variety of supplies, including the wood to make carvings and was even used in pipes.