Welcome to Zoo Admin.
I assume you are referring to the tall bamboo by Aqua Dragon. I checked its configuration and it would not override anything in Zoo Tycoon. It is a simple foliage item. It is true that the pandas would not like it because it is configured for rainforest animals and not highland animals. The panda in Zoo Tycoon is a highland animal. The Zoo Tycoon bamboo is a researched item. So you need to research it before it will show up in the game. If you are using a freeform unlock, it would show up when you start a zoo, but will disappear from the menu if you save the zoo and load it again, although any bamboo in exhibits would still be there. That is because the freeform unlock only works for things when a zoo is started. Any researched item would still need to be researched if you want it to appear in the menu after a saved game is loaded again.