Phragmites australis (Cav.) Trin. ex Steud.

Phragmites, common reed

About plant names...

The common reed is found in wetlands through much of North America and the rest of the world. It is found throughout the conterminous United States. It is considered invasive (or otherwise undesirable) in many states along the Atlantic coast, as well as much of the midwest and parts of the Pacific northwest.

Identification: Phragmites looks like (and is) a giant grass, with blades up to 1½′ (50 cm) long. It can grow as high as 20′ (6.1 m), occurring in dense stands (up to 20 stems per square foot) and spreading very quickly. Flowers are dark purple, growing in dense spikes up to 2′ (60 cm) long. It is found near fresh and brackish water, and may grow in standing water or even as free-floating mats.

Online References:

Wikipedia

The USDA Plants Database

The Virginia Tech Weed Identification Guide

Plants for a Future, a resource and information centre for edible and otherwise useful plants

Hort.purdue.edu

The USDA Forest Service's Fire Effects Information Database

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (PDF)

References:

Agricultural Research Service of the United States Department of Agriculture, Common Weeds of the United States, Dover Publications, Inc., 1971

Uva, Richard H.; Neal, Joseph C.; DiTomaso, Joseph M., Weeds of the Northeast, Comstock Publishing Associates, 1997, p. 76

8/1/2009 · Falmouth, Maine

9/14/2011 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, Mass­a­chu­setts · ≈ 14 × 9″ (35 × 23 cm)

8/1/2009 · Falmouth, Maine

5/13/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, Mass­a­chu­setts ID is uncertain

6/1/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, Mass­a­chu­setts · ≈ 5 × 8″ (13 × 19 cm) ID is uncertain

11/7/2009 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, Mass­a­chu­setts · ≈ 1 × 2′ (41 × 62 cm)

Phragmites australis description by Thomas H. Kent, last updated 25 May 2020.

© FloraFinder.org. All rights reserved.

1/6/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, Mass­a­chu­setts · ≈ 1½ × 1′ (45 × 30 cm) ID is uncertain

6/5/2013 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, Mass­a­chu­setts · ≈ 7 × 4½″ (18 × 12 cm)

5/13/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, Mass­a­chu­setts · ≈ 1 × 2′ (41 × 62 cm)

6/16/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, Mass­a­chu­setts

6/1/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, Mass­a­chu­setts ID is uncertain

12/13/2011 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, Mass­a­chu­setts · ≈ 9 × 14″ (23 × 35 cm)

4/12/2011 · ≈ 15 × 10″ (39 × 26 cm)

8/1/2009 · Falmouth, Maine · ≈ 4 × 2½′ (120 × 80 cm)

10/27/2006 · Edgartown, Mass­a­chu­setts · By Philip A. Despo ID is uncertain

Range:

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