common reed	USDA PLANTS Symbol: PHAU7 U.S. Nativity: Exotic Habit: Grass or Grasslike Aquatic
Phragmites australis (Cav.) Trin. ex Steud.

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Taxonomic Rank: Liliopsida: Cyperales: Poaceae
Synonym(s): phragmites
Native Range: Mediterranean ()
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.

Identification, Biology, Control and Management Resources

Phragmites Field Guide: Distinguishing Native and Exotic Forms of Common Reed in the U.S. - Plant Conservation Alliance
A Guide to the Control and Management of Invasive Phragmites - Michigan Department of Natural Resources
Biological Control of Invasive Plants in the Eastern United States - USDA Forest Service
Weeds Gone Wild: Alien Plant Invaders of Natural Areas - Plant Conservation Alliance
Element Stewardship Abstract - The Nature Conservancy
Invasive Plant Atlas of New England - University of Connecticut
Morphological differences between native and introduced genotypes - Cornell University
Weed of the Week - USDA Forest Service
Fact Sheet - Pennsylvania Dept. of Conservation and Natural Resources
Plant Invaders of Mid-Atlantic Natural Areas - National Park Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Best Management Practices - Ontarios Invading Species Awareness Program
Fact Sheet - Ontarios Invading Species Awareness Program
Field Guide - Ontarios Invading Species Awareness Program

Selected Images from Invasive.org

View All Images at Invasive.org

Infestation; invasion front. Bernd Blossey, Cornell University, Bugwood.org Additional Resolutions & Image Usage	Plant(s); beach wetland near Lyme Jil Swearingen, USDI National Park Service, Bugwood.org Additional Resolutions & Image Usage	Seed(s); seed head Joseph McCauley, US Fish and Wildlife Service, Bugwood.org Additional Resolutions & Image Usage	Feature(s); Stem and foliage Steve Dewey, Utah State University, Bugwood.org Additional Resolutions & Image Usage
Plant(s); Leslie J. Mehrhoff, University of Connecticut, Bugwood.org Additional Resolutions & Image Usage	Flower(s); Leslie J. Mehrhoff, University of Connecticut, 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	Root(s); Rhizomes Leslie J. Mehrhoff, University of Connecticut, Bugwood.org Additional Resolutions & Image Usage
Plant(s); 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	Plant(s); 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	Plant(s); 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	Infestation; John M. Randall, The Nature Conservancy, Bugwood.org Additional Resolutions & Image Usage
Flower(s); Mandy Tu, The Nature Conservancy, Bugwood.org Additional Resolutions & Image Usage

EDDMapS Distribution:
This map is incomplete and is based only on current site and county level reports made by experts and records obtained from USDA Plants Database. For more information, visit www.eddmaps.org