|Clumping bamboo with 1 inch wide, dark green culms. Leaves are slender, medium green. Bamboo is a common term for a large number of giant grasses that include many different species and varieties. There are two main types of bamboo. Runner types send out underground stems to varying distances and send up vertical shoots. These will grow in large thickets or groves if left alone. Runners are mainly found in temperate regions. Clump bamboos have underground stems that sprout vertical shoots much closer to their parent plants growing slowly outward. Clumpers tend to be tropical or subtropical. Bamboo has many uses worldwide from building materials to paper.