Common Reed

The scientific name for the common reed is not so common.  In fact, it's a lot of fun to say.  It is "Phragmites australis".  Say it.  Say, "Phragmites!"

Summer

The common reed, which is very tall and grows in wetlands, is one of the most common plants worldwide.  The only continent where you can't find it is - you guessed it - Antarctica.

Summer

It has been used to make thatched roofs for cottages, baskets, mats, musical instruments, brooms, arrows, and spears.  It has also been a food source for humans and animals.

Winter

There are two basic kinds of Phragmites australis here in North America.  Invasive, and non-invasive.  The invasive kind seems to have started along the eastern seaboard and worked it's way west, as with so many other invasive species.

Winter stand

I have no solid idea which kind I have captured in these photographs.  They are difficult for a layman like me to tell apart.  The native species usually grows in less dense stands, has lighter leaf coloring, and more red coloring along the nodules and stems.

For an excellent field guide on this matter, go to the following web address:

http://www.nps.gov/plants/alien/fact/pdf/phau1-powerpoint.pdf

The two women who wrote this treatise, Jil Swearingen and Kristin Saltonstall, have done a superior job in their writing and their use of photographs and drawings.