Tonkin bamboo arrows

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Elestial

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Classification and Naming of Trees

Organisms are assigned scientific names because of the confusion of using common names and because of the many different languages spoken throughout the world. Scientists have settled primarily on Latin for scientific names, although they sometimes use Greek or other languages. The important thing is that, regardless of the language the scientist uses for communication, the scientific names chosen for all classified living organisms are the same worldwide. Classifying and assigning scientific names also include those organisms that once lived, such as the dinosaurs.
You may wish to refer to Figure 1 for the following explanation of the classification of trees. The highest taxonomic division of living things is the kingdom. All living organisms are placed in either the plant kingdom or the animal kingdom. Since this publication is about the classification of trees, only the taxonomy of the plant kingdom, and specifically trees, will be discussed. However, the taxonomic classification of other plants, and that of animals, is very similar.
The plant kingdom is further classified into divisions. Trees are included in the division Spermatophyta. Spermatophytes include all plants that have seeds. Divisions are further broken down into subdivisions. Spermatophytes are divided into two subdivisions, Angiospermae (encased seeds) and Gymnospermae (naked seeds). Trees are included in both of these subdivisions.
Trees often referred to as broad-leaved hardwood trees are included in the subdivision Angiospermae. Angiosperms have a specialized organ of reproduction, the flower. The term angiosperm refers to the presence of an ovary that encloses the ovules or seeds. The ovary is the fruit found on the tree. Examples of fruit found on hardwood trees are the samara (wings) of the maples and ashes, the acorn of the oaks, the nut of the hickories, the pome of the apples, the drupe of the cherries, and the berry of the persimmon tree.
Angiosperms are further divided into two classes, Monocotyledoneae and Dicotyledoneae. Monocots have one initial seed leaf and dicots have two. There are no commercially important monocot trees in the United States. Three groups of monocots that attain large size and produce woody stems are bamboo, palm, and rattan. Furniture, fishing rods, and other small items made from these woods are often imported into the United States. Although they produce woody stems, the anatomy of monocots is quite different from that of dicots.

from
FOR-61: Scientific Classification of Trees: An Introduction for Wood Workers
 

Zhoo Zhoo

Member
Someone was shooting with bamboo arrows at the GNAS FITA field in Exmouth at the weekend, so they must be legal now.
 

Zhoo Zhoo

Member
Or none of the officials spotted them ;-)
Yes I did wonder, as the judge didn't check my arrows at the inspection, so they may not have checked his, but he was discussing and displaying them openly around the tea area and there were plenty of judges there too.
 

Simon Banks

Active member
Well I did a quick websearch and I don't see any rules or regs banning bamboo arrows.. I do see some clubs banning carbon and bamboo arrows though.. So maybe it just the BLBS that doesn't permit them in comps..


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frustratatosk

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It's a shame as bamboo is beautiful stuff but I think it is always going to be open to the reasonable claim that wood is the structural tissue of a plant that produces secondary xylem (sapwood that eventually becomes heartwood.)
Bamboo is a grass.
But then it seems that the use of the word 'wood' is often loose I.e.
"...The absence of secondary growth wood causes the stems of monocots, including the palms and large bamboos, to be columnar rather than tapering"
Bamboo - Wikipedia
 

Simon Banks

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Wood just means from a plant... Doesn't have to be from trees.. I think the problem against them is some people have an idea of what's traditional and what's not and they don't fit. I've made a set and I don't think there is any advantage to using them over tree based woodies. So why not.. :)


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frustratatosk

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err ... bamboo doesn't have Xylem cells .. how can it be a wood?
It has primary xylem - so does coriander, tulip, the multitude of annual or biannual flowering plants.
Mosses don't but I agree - no distinction is made in the rules between a good or not so good 'wood' for making arrows. Bamboo is not better than the best wood, it's an all natural material (nodes are it's downfall over timber if anything), it should be allowed!

P.S. (and I know this will be contentious if not ludicrous) From Robert Graves' interpretation of the aural tradition poem 'The Battle of the Trees' - reed is listed as a tree (!) that played it's part and, alongside ash spears, I can only think of 2 uses for reed on the battlefield: hiding under water and making arrow shafts.
(echos of the neolithic)(posted against my better judgement :)
 

Simon Banks

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So I assume that archers/clubs that don't agree with bamboo arrows also don't use bamboo constructed longbows? ;-)


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Raven's_Eye

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Ironman
So I assume that archers/clubs that don't agree with bamboo arrows also don't use bamboo constructed longbows? ;-)


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For AGB(GNAS)/BLBS clubs bamboo arrows are NOT allowed with longbows/traditional recurve as the description for arrows specify wood arrows. Bamboo being a grass means they are not allowed. A good number of people have e-mails from AGB confirming this, we host a longbow shoot in which some of the archers used bamboo arrows, upon discovery of this they were allowed to continue shooting but unable to win anything. BUT as recurve/compound/barebow don't have any mention of materials for arrows then bamboo is allowed for them.

Bamboo in the construction of longbows IS allowed and is mentioned in the rules that it is.

The whole reason (apparently) is that bamboo arrows are less easy to see cracks and splits than wooden arrows, and then they break they shatter like carbon rather than just snap. So it's more of a health and safety concern.
 

Simon Banks

Active member
Sorry Raven was a sarcastic question.. E.g. It's ok to ban bamboo for one thing but not another.. ;-)
I don't really see the problem bamboo doesn't solve anything it's just another variable.. The main obstacle for hitting the target is the archer... Whilst not a bowyer myself I've heard plenty I respect say materials academic even for yew... So unless you are into 'heritage' bow construction e.g. Historically correct I think everybody should relax.

That said I do draw the line at marks on the bow.. It's like a punch in the face when shooting a primitive bow. My attitude is if you can't shoot a primitive bow without a sight shoot you've doing it wrong, ;-)


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KidCurry

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AIUK Saviour
Trees have a primary and secondary phloem, and a primary and secondary xylem. The primary cells allow the tree to grow taller. The secondary cells allow the tree to grow wider which supports the primary growth. These layers are separated by a layer called cambium which produces the secondary xylem on the inside of the phloem. Each year the cambium produces a new layer of xylem, the older inner layers hardening to produce the rings in typical timber. It's this secondary xylem and cambium that botanically defines wood. In contrast bamboo has no cambium so cannot produce secondary xylem layers; therefore it is technically not a wood.

I doubt the powers that be, in archery, use this differentiation to prohibit or allow bamboo in bows or arrows. My guess it is more of a historical geographical reason.
 
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