Bamboo - What is it?

A green treasure, fighting the zephyr
Standing tall, like a giraffe, watching for predators,
Stalks and stems, standing silently, straight and still, like a soldier saluting.
The sticks of bamboo watched over us
Like the guardians of this land.
The bamboo stems stuck its roots deep underground
As the giant panda usurped the forest,
Walking dangerously close to it, hoping to have it for lunch.
A symbol, an emblem,
A plant, a food
It’s all of it
What is it? It’s bamboo.