| common reed |
USDA PLANTS Symbol: PHAU7 USDA ARS GRIN: 28091 ITIS: 41072 NAPIS: PCACJBA |
| Phragmites australis (Cav.) Trin. ex Steud. | |
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Taxonomic Rank: Liliopsida: Cyperales: Poaceae |
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| Synonym(s): phragmites | |
Common reed is a tall, perennial grass that can grow to heights of 15 ft. (4.6 m) or more. Broad, pointed leaves arise from thick, vertical stalks. Leaves are 6-23.6 in. (15-60 cm) long, 0.4-2.4 in. (1-6 cm) wide, flat and glabrous. The flower heads are dense, fluffy, gray or purple in color and 5.9-15.7 in. (15-40 cm) long. Flowering occurs from July to October. Common reed is usually found in dense thickets growing in or near shallow water. These thickets displace native wetlands plants, alter hydrology and block sunlight to the aquatic community. Exotic common reed is native to Eurasia and Africa. Native Phragmites do occur in the United States and they are sometimes very difficult to distinguish from the exotics. |
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Identification, Biology, Control and Management Resources
- Weed of the Week - USDA Forest Service
- Morphological differences between native and introduced genotypes - Cornell University
- Invasive Plant Atlas of New England - University of Connecticut
- Element Stewardship Abstract - The Nature Conservancy
- Biological Control of Invasive Plants in the Eastern United States - USDA Forest Service
- Plant Invaders of Mid-Atlantic Natural Areas - National Park Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
- Weeds Gone Wild: Alien Plant Invaders of Natural Areas - Plant Conservation Alliance
- Fact Sheet - Pennsylvania Dept. of Conservation and Natural Resources
| Selected Images from Invasive.org | View All Images at Invasive.org |
 Root(s); Rhizomes Leslie J. Mehrhoff, University of Connecticut, Bugwood.org Additional Resolutions & Image Usage |
 Feature(s); Stem and foliage Steve Dewey, Utah State University, Bugwood.org Additional Resolutions & Image Usage |
 Feature(s); Hairs at Leaf-stem Junction Leslie J. Mehrhoff, University of Connecticut, Bugwood.org Additional Resolutions & Image Usage |
 Foliage; Richard Old, XID Services, Inc., Bugwood.org Additional Resolutions & Image Usage |
 Root(s); rhizomes Ohio State Weed Lab Archive, The Ohio State University, Bugwood.org Additional Resolutions & Image Usage |
 Fruit(s); Ken Chamberlain, The Ohio State University, Bugwood.org Additional Resolutions & Image Usage |
 Flower(s); Richard Old, XID Services, Inc., Bugwood.org Additional Resolutions & Image Usage |
 Fruit(s); Ken Chamberlain, The Ohio State University, Bugwood.org Additional Resolutions & Image Usage |
 Flower(s); Leslie J. Mehrhoff, University of Connecticut, Bugwood.org Additional Resolutions & Image Usage |
 Seed(s); seed head Joseph McCauley, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Bugwood.org Additional Resolutions & Image Usage |
 Plant(s); Leslie J. Mehrhoff, University of Connecticut, Bugwood.org Additional Resolutions & Image Usage |
 Plant(s); beach wetland near Lyme Jil M. Swearingen, USDI National Park Service, Bugwood.org Additional Resolutions & Image Usage |
 Infestation; invasion front. Bernd Blossey, Cornell University, Bugwood.org Additional Resolutions & Image Usage |
 Flower(s); Mandy Tu, The Nature Conservancy, Bugwood.org Additional Resolutions & Image Usage |
 Infestation; John M. Randall, The Nature Conservancy, Bugwood.org Additional Resolutions & Image Usage |
 Diagram or Graphic; USDA NRCS. Wetland flora: Field office illustrated guide to plant species. USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service. USDA PLANTS Database, USDA NRCS PLANTS Database, Bugwood.org Additional Resolutions & Image Usage |
 Diagram or Graphic; Hitchcock, A.S. (rev. A. Chase). 1950. Manual of the grasses of the United States. USDA Misc. Publ. No. 200. Washington, DC. USDA PLANTS Database, USDA NRCS PLANTS Database, Bugwood.org Additional Resolutions & Image Usage |
 Diagram or Graphic; Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913. Illustrated flora of the northern states and Canada. Vol. 1: 232. USDA PLANTS Database, USDA NRCS PLANTS Database, Bugwood.org Additional Resolutions & Image Usage |
Taxonomic References:
- USDA, NRCS. 2001. The PLANTS Database, Version 3.1, National Plant Data Center, Baton Rouge, LA 70874-4490 USA.
Invasive Listing Sources:
- City of Ann Arbor Michigan Parks and Recreation
- Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, 1994.
- Connecticut Invasive Plant Working Group
- Hoffman, R. & K. Kearns, Eds. 1997. Wisconsin manual of control recommendations for ecologically invasive plants. Wisconsin Dept. Natural Resources, Bureau of Endangered Resources. Madison, Wisconsin. 102pp.
- Indiana Native Plant and Wildflower Society
- Invasive Plant Council of New York State
- Jil M. Swearingen, Survey of invasive plants occurring on National Park Service lands, 2000-2007
- Maryland Cooperative Extension Service. 2003. Invasive Plant Control in Maryland. Home and Garden Information Center, Home and Garden Mimeo HG88. 4 pp.
- Maryland Department of Natural Resources, 1994
- Mid-Atlantic Exotic Pest Plant Council, 2005
- Mid-Atlantic Exotic Pest Plant Council, 2005
- National Wildlife Refuge Association, Silent Invasion: A Call to Action from the National Wildlife Refuge Association, 2002. Washington DC. 17 pp.
- New Hampshire Invasive Species Committee. 2005. Guide to Invasive Upland Plant Species in New Hampshire. New Hampshire Department of Agriculture, Markets and Food Plant Industry Division and New Hampshire Invasive Species Committee.
- New Jersey Department of Agriculture, Division of Plant Industry, 2004
- Nonnative Invasive Species in Southern Forest and Grassland Ecosystems
- Nonnative Invasive Species in Southern Forest and Grassland Ecosystems
- North Carolina Division of Parks and Recreation, Department of Environment and Natural Resources, 1998
- Pennypack Ecological Restoration Trust, Pennsylvania.
- Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation,
- Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, 1999.
- WeedUS - Database of Plants Invading Natural Areas in the United States
- Alabama Invasive Plant Council
- Alabama Invasive Plant Council
- Alabama Noxious Weeds Class C Noxious Weed
- Connecticut Noxious Weeds
- Apalachicola Invasive Working Group
- Georgia Exotic Pest Plant Council Category 3
- Kentucky Exotic Pest Plant Council Severe Threat
- Massachusetts Noxious Weeds
- Massachusetts Noxious Weeds
- Nebraska Noxious Weeds
- South Carolina Exotic Pest Plant Council Severe Threat
- South Carolina Noxious Weeds
- South Dakota Noxious Weeds
- Tennessee Exotic Pest Plant Council Severe Threat
- Vermont Noxious Weeds
- Vermont Noxious Weeds
- Washington Noxious Weeds
- Washington Noxious Weeds
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