Testable four‐pillar hypotheses and research priorities for decoding Moso bamboo's extreme growth

Summary How plants coordinate cell division and elongation with resource allocation and mechanical reinforcement remains a central problem in developmental biology, but these links are often difficult to resolve in slow‐growing species. Moso bamboo, one of the world's fastest‐growing plants, offers a unique opportunity to expose these relationships. Its extreme vertical growth raises a fundamental question: how does it achieve growth rates exceeding 1 metre per day? This Viewpoint argues that such extreme growth does not arise from maximising any single process. Instead, we propose that it emerges from system‐wide optimisation across four interconnected pillars. We frame these pillars as four testable hypotheses: an underground, prepatterned architectural blueprint that guides aboveground growth; specialised growth patterns that enable synchronised elongation; a multiscale regulatory engine that integrates hormones, transcriptional networks, noncoding RNAs, epigenetic mechanisms, and genomic innovations; and an integrated support scaffold that combines mechanical reinforcement with nutrient and water supply. Together, these four pillars enable a unique ‘Faster, Higher, and Stronger’ growth strategy. We outline research priorities and future directions. Using single‐cell technologies, spatial omics, and comparative genomics, we aim to establish Moso bamboo as a tractable model for exploring plant growth potential and advancing sustainable biomass production.