Appendix: Why do the plants have synchronous flowering?

Several conflicting theories have been advanced to account for mass flowering. It has been suggested that the energy 'saved' by not seeding can be channeled into additional vegetative reproduction. This is probably at least partly true; an increase in the number of underground runners that each plant can throw out should lead to that plant being able to compete more effectively with other plant species. The evidence for this, however, is mainly hypothetical and no real field work in this area has been done to underpin the theory.

Perhaps the most compelling theory for mass flowering is 'prey saturation': if bamboo flowered in an orthodox manner and produced a normal number of seeds, all these seeds would probably be consumed by the large number of seed-eaters that live in the forest. Bamboo seeds are at least as nutritious as the seeds of grains such as wheat; nor have they evolved the toxins that help protect the seeds of other plants. For a seed-eating species, the seeds are as defenseless as they are attractive. But, if the plant conserves its energy, husbanding its seed-producing potential for one enormous burst of sexual reproduction, it can swamp the seed-eaters by the huge weight of seed produced, and ensure that at least some of the seed is left to germinate.