The bright green stalks of the bamboo tree are synonymous with Asia, but the invasive species has been at the center a controversy in the Delaware Valley.
"When we had a recent ice storm, we had bamboo wilt over and create a major blockage on the road. We had to clear cut it, and get it out of the road. It could have been a safety issue," said Lower Pottsgrove Township Manager Edward Wagner.
Wagner says after a few major incidents with bamboo, they are considering bans or regulations on the tree in their section of Montgomery County.
"The board said they were going to take it under advisement. They want to look at the three or four different ordinances I prepared, and the board president will probably bring it up in the next month or two," he added.
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With the ability to grow three to five inches a day, bamboo rules are becoming common throughout the region.
"Bamboo has been in this area for over 75 years. And it's just within the last five years or so that many towns have started to enact ordinances against it," said John Kohler with Chester County Bamboo.
Kohler says if the tree is not properly cared for, it can rapidly spread to unwanted areas, putting neighbors at odds with each other.
"Many of these ordinances are pushed because of a lack of maintenance where people have not taken proper control of the bamboo, by containing it via root barriers and things of that nature,' Kohler added.
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Kohler says he hopes townships carefully look at remedies and other solutions before they put out new rules for the tree.
"As many of these ordinances refer to bamboo as obnoxious, it actually has many environmental benefits," he said.
Bamboo, Kohler says, has higher oxygen production than any other plant and can absorb more carbon dioxide than others tree of the same size.