Abstract The growing interest in commercial cultivation of bamboos (Poaceae subfamily Bambusoideae) has led to the introduction of new alien species into South Africa. The rate at which bamboos are being planted in South Africa is a cause for concern because of the impacts of bamboo invasions in other parts of the world. To understand the risks associated with new introductions and new plantings, we assess the outcomes of past introductions of bamboos into South Africa. To this end we: (1) produce an inventory of alien bamboo taxa; (2) assess the distribution of bamboos; (3) determine the rate of spread of bamboo at a site with a high density of naturalised stands; and (4) evaluate the current regulatory status of alien bamboos in South Africa. We used a combination of expert opinion, literature, historical records of populations, and public participation to produce a species list and locate populations of alien bamboos. We also attempted to confirm species identities using DNA barcoding. We found that 28 currently-accepted species of bamboo have been recorded in South Africa. However, we have little confidence in this estimate, as 20 of the species could not be confirmed or identified as present in the country. Bamboos are an inherently challenging group to identify using vegetative material, and DNA barcoding was inconclusive. The distribution of bamboos across the country varied with the type or lineage (e.g. herbaceous, tropical or temperate) and the source of information (e.g. herbarium records, in-field observation or public contribution). Although alien bamboos are naturalised at several sites, we found no large invasive stands nor evidence of widespread negative environmental impacts. Nonetheless, we recommend caution regarding future introductions of bamboos for commercial cultivation, as the nature of the plantings will likely differ from the historical situation in both the location, configuration, and the scale of cultivation, and as new species are likely to be introduced. We propose several changes to the current listing of bamboo taxa in national legislation pertaining to alien and invasive species.

中文翻译：

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南非外来竹的现状

摘要 竹子（禾本科亚科 Bambusoideae）商业化种植的兴趣日益增长，导致将新的外来物种引入南非。由于竹子入侵对世界其他地区的影响，南非的竹子种植速度令人担忧。为了了解与新引进和新种植相关的风险，我们评估了过去竹子引进南非的结果。为此我们： (1) 编制一份外来竹类群清单；(2) 评估竹子的分布；(3) 确定竹林在归化林密度高的地方的蔓延速度；(4) 评估南非外来竹的监管现状。我们结合了专家意见、文献、人口历史记录，和公众参与制定物种名录并定位外来竹子的种群。我们还尝试使用 DNA 条形码来确认物种身份。我们发现南非已记录了 28 种目前被接受的竹子。然而，我们对这一估计几乎没有信心，因为有 20 种物种无法确认或确定在该国存在。使用植物材料识别竹子本身是一个具有挑战性的群体，DNA 条形码尚无定论。竹子在全国的分布因类型或谱系（例如草本、热带或温带）和信息来源（例如植物标本馆记录、实地观察或公共贡献）而异。虽然外来竹子在几个地方被归化，我们没有发现大型侵入性林分，也没有证据表明存在广泛的负面环境影响。尽管如此，我们建议在未来引入竹子用于商业种植时要谨慎，因为种植的性质在位置、配置和种植规模方面可能与历史情况不同，并且可能引入新物种。我们建议对当前在有关外来和入侵物种的国家立法中列出的竹类群进行一些更改。