Phyllostachys edulis, moso bamboo or tortoise-shell bamboo is a temperate species of giant timber bamboo native to China and Taiwan and naturalised elsewhere. The edulis part of the Latin name is a reference to the fact that it produces edible shoots. It is synonymously known as Bambos moosoo, Bambusa edulis, Bambusa heterocycle, Bambusa mitis, Bambusa pubescens, Phyllostachys bicolor, Phyllostachys heterocycla and Phyllostachys pubescens. This bamboo can reach heights of up to 28 m. This particular species of bamboo is the most common species used in the bamboo textile industry of China. Its physical properties boast an average breaking tenacity more than three times that of cotton, wool, rayon, or polyester. Phyllostchys edulis spreads using both asexual and sexual reproduction. The most common and well known for this plant is asexual reproduction. This occurs when the plant sends up new culms from underground rhizomes. The culms grow quickly and reach a height of 30 meters or more (this is depending on the age and health of the plant). In mature individuals, the culms in young plants grow taller and wider in diameter as the general plant reaches maturity, but once the individual culm stops growing it will not grow again.