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sasa

Sasa is a genus of bamboo in the grass family, Poaceae. Native to East Asia, it includes many species of evergreen, clump-forming bamboos. Sasa bamboos are typically smaller than many garden bamboos and are valued for their dense foliage, shade tolerance, and usefulness as groundcovers or hedges in temperate gardens. They generally prefer partial shade and moist, well-drained soil and can tolerate a range of light conditions. Most Sasa species form compact clumps through short, thick rhizomes, which reduces the tendency to spread aggressively compared with running bamboo. In cultivation, they are popular for understory plantings and decorative foliage throughout the year. Some species produce shoots, though edible use varies by species and local tradition.

In Swahili, sasa means "now" and is a common word in everyday speech, commonly used in phrases

that
refer
to
the
present
moment.
Outside
botany,
the
term
also
appears
in
various
place
names
and
personal
names
in
different
languages,
reflecting
its
use
as
a
common
word
or
phonetic
element
rather
than
a
botanical
concept.