A fossil of a leafy branch discovered from the early Eocene in Patagonia in 1941 is still considered to be the oldest bamboo of the world.
Additionally, a recent examination by Dr Peter Wilf from Pennsylvania State University revealed the real nature of the plant (Chusquea oxyphylla).
The corrected identification is significant because the fossil in question was the only bamboo macrofossil still considered from the ancient southern supercontinent of Gondwana.
The oldest microfossil evidence for bamboo in the Northern Hemisphere belongs to the Middle Eocene.
While other South American fossils are not older than Pliocene.