Phragmites australis

Common reed (Phragmites australis) is a perennial, rhizomatous grass typical of wetlands, found on almost every continent and present in all regions of Italy. It forms dense colonies along the banks of lakes, ponds and canals.

The plant has an erect culm that typically reaches a height of 2 m, and up to 4–6 m in highly fertile conditions. The leaves are broad and linear, 15–60 cm long and 1–6 cm wide, glabrous, and green or glaucous in colour. At the apex of the stem, a white, woolly panicle up to 40 cm long develops. The root system, submerged along with the stolons, anchors the plant to the substrate, whilst the aerial part emerges from the water.

In the Aosta ValleyAosta, the species has been recorded on the shores of Lake Lod (1,472 m), in the municipality of Antey-Saint-André, within a landscape of peat bogs and wet meadows that also harbours amphibians, reptiles and aquatic insects associated with alpine wetlands.

The stems and leaves are traditionally used for roofing, and for making mats, trellises and baskets; the young shoots are edible. The species is also used in constructed wetlands for wastewater treatment, due to its ability to tolerate and accumulate heavy metals (including selenium, chromium, nickel, zinc, lead, copper and cadmium) in its root tissues.

Its global conservation status is classified as ‘Least Concern’ (IUCN Red List, version 2020.2).

It can be confused with Arundo donax, which has a similar growth habit but is generally larger: the two species can be reliably distinguished during flowering, as the glumes of Phragmites are glabrous whilst those of Arundo are covered with hairs 6–8 mm long.

Fact sheet

Common name: Common reed
Scientific name: Phragmites australis (Cav.) Trin. ex Steud.
Family: Poaceae
Life form: rhizomatous perennial herb (heloophyte)
Distribution: subcosmopolitan; found in all regions of Italy Habitat: marshes, lake and pond shores, riverbanks, reed beds, wetland habitats including brackish areas, from 0 to 1,200 m (up to 2,000 m)
Flowering months: June, July, August, September, October
Common names: Marsh reed, common reed; Roseau commun (FR); Common Reed (EN); Schilfrohr (DE)