Luck bamboo: Is it really lucky?
We all know what lucky bamboo is, don’t we? We know it as a plant that brings good health and fortune into our homes. In fact, your parents may have received it as a gift if they held a housewarming party or maybe as a return gift for someone’s birthday or an anniversary. But what‘s behind its name ‘lucky bamboo’? Is the plant a bamboo just because it has tall green sticks?
The bamboo plants are considered lucky plants as per the Feng Shui, an ancient Chinese practice. According to Feng Shui, the hollow structure of the plant helps in the movement of positive energy in the surrounding area generating more abundance and prosperity.
Species and origin
The plant’s botanical name is Dracena sanderiana and it belongs to the Asparagaceae family of plants. It was named after the German–English gardener, Henry Frederick Conrad Sander. Lucky Bamboo is native to the tropical regions of western Africa, though it is often mistakenly thought to have originated in Asia.
Bamboo or not?
The plant is not bamboo. It is classified in the Asparagaceae family due to having fleshy stems, rather than hollow stems, like bamboo. Confused that if it is not some kind of bamboo, then why is it called bamboo? Because the tall columnar growth of this plant looks very similar to bamboo.
The tradition of Feng Shui
As already mentioned, the tradition of regarding it as a ‘lucky’ plant originated from Feng Shui, an ancient Chinese tradition practiced for over 5,000 years. The practice is popular even today both in China and Western cultures.
But what is the tradition of Feng Shui all about? It is an ancient Chinese method of arranging buildings, objects, and space in the environment in such a way that it achieves harmony and balance. For example, if you were building a new house then Feng Shui will guide you on the placements of different rooms or doors and even show pieces or your wall clock. According to it, elements such as the movement of the sun need to be considered to better heat the house in winter, for example.
The ideology is that if all the elements – earth, wind, water, fire and metal – have been arranged in their ideal directions and space, then there will be a positive energy flow in the house which will bring good health, wealth, and happiness.
What makes lucky bamboo a popular house plant?
This one is easy to guess. What do you need for any indoor plant to survive? Little sunlight and some water, right? That’s how simple caring for Dracena plants is! These plants can tolerate low, diffused light, making them a viable option as a house or office plants. And if the plant also brings home good fortune, who wouldn’t get it home?