There are many species of bamboo that have now been introduced to the British and Irish isles. They are commonly divided into running and clumping types, however this is often very misleading as many of the common planted bamboo species both clump and run. Bamboos are also spreading into the wild environment where they can cause much environment degradation and harm by destroying the ecosystem. Bamboos in common with other rhizomatous species such as Japanese knotweed, form large, interlinked colonies, there is no practical limit as to how large an area can be covered by a colony – bamboo infestations have been reported as covering many hectares in other countries.