| SOURCE: The following information on this
species is taken, in part, from the Plant Conservation Alliance, Alien Plant
Working Group, Weeds Gone Wild website at
http://www.nps.gov/plants/alien/factmain.htm. Modifications include
additional pictures (from www.invasives.org)
and resource information. Check the website links for future updates. The last
update for this fact sheet is May 5, 2005. |
NATIVE RANGE:
Unclear
DESCRIPTION:
Common reed, or Phragmites, is a tall, perennial grass that can grow to over 15
feet in height. In North America, both native phragmites (Phragmites australis
ssp. americanus Saltonstall, P.M. Peterson & Soreng) and introduced
subspecies are found. Introduced Phragmites forms dense stands which
include both live stems and standing dead stems from previous year's growth.
Leaves are elongate and typically 1-1.5 inches wide at their widest point.
Flowers form bushy panicles in late July and August and are usually purple or
golden in color. As seeds mature, the panicles begin to look "fluffy" due to
the hairs on the seeds and they take on a grey sheen. Below ground, Phragmites
forms a dense network of roots and rhizomes which can go down several feet in
depth. The plant spreads horizontally by sending out rhizome runners which can
grow 10 or more feet in a single growing season if conditions are optimal.
Visit the Plant Conservation Alliance, Alien Plant
Working Group, Weeds Gone Wild Fact Sheet for Common Reed to view a table of
characteristics that distinguish native Phragmites from the invasive Phragmites
at http://www.nps.gov/plants/alien/fact/phau1.htm
or at
http://www.invasiveplants.net/invasiveplants/phragmites/morphology.htm.
Photo: Jil M. Swearingen, USDI National
Park Service,
www.forestryimages.org |
Photo: James R. Allison, Georgia
Department of Natural Resources,
www.forestryimages.org |
Photo: James H. Miller,
USDA Forest Service,
www.forestryimages.org |
ECOLOGICAL
THREAT:
Once introduced Phragmites invades a site it quickly can take over a
marsh community, crowding out native plants, changing marsh hydrology, altering
wildlife habitat, and increasing fire potential. Its high biomass blocks light
to other plants and occupies all the growing space belowground so plant
communities can turn into a Phragmites monoculture very quickly. Phragmites
can spread both by seed dispersal and by vegetative spread via fragments of
rhizomes that break off and are transported elsewhere. New populations of the
introduced type may appear sparse for the first few years of growth but due to
the plant's rapid growth rate, they will typically form a pure stand that
chokes out other vegetation very quickly.
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Photo: © John M. Randall/
The Nature Conservancy
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DISTRIBUTION
IN THE UNITED STATES: Phragmites occurs throughout the lower 48 states and southern
Canada. It has been reported to be invasive in natural areas in 18 states
including Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky,
Maryland, Michigan, North Carolina, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio,
Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, Vermont, and Wisconsin, and the District of
Columbia.
HABITAT IN
THE UNITED STATES:
Tidal and nontidal brackish and freshwater marshes, river edges, shores of
lakes and ponds, roadsides, disturbed areas.
BACKGROUND:
Preserved remains of native Phragmites that are 40,000 years old have
been found in the southwest indicating that it is a part of the native flora of
that region. In coastal areas, preserved rhizome fragments dating back
3000-4000 years have also been found in salt marsh sediments indicating that it
is also native to these habitats. Native American uses of Phragmites include
use of stems for arrow shafts, musical instruments, ceremonial objects,
cigarettes, and both leaves and stems for constructing mats. Introduced Phragmites
is thought to have arrived in North America accidentally, most likely in
ballast material in the late 18th or early 19th centuries. It established
itself along the Atlantic coast and over the course of the 20th century, spread
across the continent. In Europe Phragmites is grown commercially and is used
for thatching, fodder for livestock, and cellulose production. It is also
declining in parts of Europe which has been of concern to natural resource
managers there. Here in the United States it is not used for many purposes.
BIOLOGY &
SPREAD: While each Phragmites plant may produce thousands of seeds annually, seed
viability is typically low although there appears to be a great deal of
interannual variation in fecundity. Dispersal to new sites is typically by seed
except along rivers and shorelines where fragments of rhizomes may be washed
down to new sites where they can establish. Along roadsides, rhizomes fragments
may also be transported by heavy machinery between sites. At this time, there
is no evidence for hybrid native/introduced populations occurring in the field.
SUGGESTED
ALTERNATIVE PLANTS:
Native plant species that are adapted to local conditions should be used in
restoration projects and as a substitute for Phragmites erosion control
practices.
AUTHORS:
Dr. Kristin Saltonstall, Adjunct Research Scientist, Horn Point Laboratory
University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, Solomon MD.
EDITOR:
Jil M. Swearingen, National Park Service, Center for Urban Ecology, Washington
DC.
For more information
on common reed, please contact:
Cornell University, Biological Control of Weeds-Common reed,
http://www.invasiveplants.net/invasiveplants/biologicalcontrol/default.asp
Delaware River Invasive Plant Partnership, Invasive Plant Fact Sheets,
http://www.paflora.org/DRIPP.html.
Dr. Kristin Saltonstall; Adjunct Research Scientist; Horn Point Laboratory;
University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science;
ksalton@hpl.umces.edu; Tel: (914) 526-2498
Invasive Plant Atlas of New England,
http://invasives.eeb.uconn.edu/ipane/
Mid-Atlantic Exotic Pest Plant Council, Inc., http://www.ma-eppc.org
National Invasive Species Information Center,
http://www.invasivespeciesinfo.gov
Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Division of Natural Areas and Preserves,
Invasive Plants of Ohio Fact Sheet No. 5, Phragmites australis,
http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/dnap/invasive/5reedgrass.htm.
The Bugwood Network, MA-EPPC Invasive Plant List,
http://www.invasive.org/maweeds.cfm
The Nature Conservancy, Invasive Species Initiative,
http://tncweeds.ucdavis.edu/esadocs.html
USDA Forest Service, Northeastern Area, Invasive Plants - Weeds of the Week,
http://www.na.fs.fed.us/fhp/invasive_plants/weeds/
USDA - NRCS PLANTS Database, http://plants.usda.gov/
Virginia Natural Heritage Program Fact Sheet-Common reed;
http://www.dcr.virginia.gov/dnh/invlist.htm
Virginia Tech Weed Identification Guide,
http://www.ppws.vt.edu/scott/weed_id/genusindex.htm
REFERENCES:
Chambers, R.M., L.A. Meyerson, and K. Saltonstall. 1999. Expansion of
Phragmites australis into tidal wetlands of North America. Aquatic Botany 64:
261-273.
Marks, M., B. Lapin, et al. 1994. Phragmites australis (P. communis): Threats,
management, and monitoring. Natural Areas Journal 14: 285-294.
Meyerson, L.A., K. Saltonstall, L. Windham, E. Kiviat, and S. Findlay. 2000. A
comparison of Phragmites australis in freshwater and brackish marsh
environments in North America. Wetlands Ecology and Management 8: 89-103.
Norris, L., J. E. Perry, and K.J. Havens. 2002. A summary of methods for
controlling Phragmites australis. Virginia Institute of marine Science Wetlands
Program Technical Report No. 02-2.
Saltonstall, K. 2002. Cryptic invasion of a non-native genotype of the common
reed, Phragmites australis, into North America. Proceedings of the National
Academy of Sciences USA 99(4): 2445-2449.
Saltonstall, K. 2003. Microsatellite variation within and among North American
lineages of Phragmites australis. Molecular Ecology 12(7): 1689-1702.
Saltonstall, K. 2003. Genetic variation among North American populations of
Phragmites australis: implications for management. Estuaries 26(2B):445-452.
Saltonstall, K. 2003. A rapid method for identifying the origin of North
American Phragmites populations using RFLP analysis. Wetlands 23(4) 1043-1047.
Saltonstall, K., P.M. Peterson, and R. Soreng. 2004. Recognition of Phragmites
australis subsp. americanus (Poaceae: Arundinoideae) in North America: evidence
from morphological and genetic analyses. Sida.
Swearingen, J. 2005. Alien Plant Invaders of Natural Areas. Plant Conservation
Alliance, Alien Plant Working Group. http://www.nps.gov/plants/alien/list/a.htm
U.S.Department of Agriculture. 2005. Natural Resources Conservation Service
Plants Database. http://plants.usda.gov/
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