虽然中国的文人墨客都喜爱竹子，觉得竹子坚韧又雅致，实际上，竹子有它的另一面。

Although Chinese literati adore bamboo for its resilience and elegance, in reality, bamboo has another side to it.

它是一种不论地上还是地下生长手段都非常凶猛的植物。其一就是先快后慢的占领速度，竹子的竹鞭会一路探索，哪里有空位就去哪里。在多雨的春天蓄势待发，会从里面发出新的笋来。从竹笋生长到竹子主要有三个阶段，第一年就是先占位，然后迅速长高。

It's a plant with extremely aggressive growth tactics, both above and below ground. One aspect of this is its rapid colonization, with bamboo shoots exploring every available space. In the rainy spring, it gathers strength and sends out new shoots from within. From bamboo shoots to mature bamboo, there are three main stages. In the first year, it establishes its position and then rapidly grows tall.

当我们竖着剖开竹笋，就可以看到它的内部结构，竹节一个个压缩在一起，生长的过程是每一节都在长，如同长条的气球正被灌注空气，迅速伸长，假设一个竹子有60节，那么它的生长速度是普通植物的几倍。

When we cut open a bamboo shoot vertically, we can see its internal structure, with segments compressed together. Each segment grows like an elongating balloon being filled with air, rapidly extending. Assuming a bamboo has 60 segments, its growth rate is several times that of ordinary plants.

竹子在生长上是排外的，我们会发现竹林的生态系统并没有其他森林那样的多样。野生竹林通常很高很密，这就导致顶端的阳光洒落不到地上。而在地底下的土壤营养又被竹鞭扫了个遍。所以通常竹林生长的地方，地上只会有少数的灌丛，其他植物非常难以生存。

Bamboo is exclusionary in its growth; we'll find that bamboo forests lack the diversity seen in other forests. Wild bamboo forests usually grow densely tall, causing sunlight to barely reach the ground. Moreover, the bamboo shoots sweep the soil's nutrients underground. Thus, in areas where bamboo forests grow, there are only a few shrubs on the surface, making it difficult for other plants to survive.

责编：易卓