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''Phragmites'' () is a
genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...
of four species of large perennial reed grasses found in
wetland A wetland is a distinct ecosystem that is flooded or saturated by water, either permanently (for years or decades) or seasonally (for weeks or months). Flooding results in oxygen-free (Anoxic waters, anoxic) processes prevailing, especially in t ...
s throughout temperate and tropical regions of the world.


Taxonomy

The World Checklist of Selected Plant Families, maintained by Kew Garden in
London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
, accepts the following four species: * '' Phragmites australis'' ( Cav.) Trin. ex Steud. – cosmopolitan * '' Phragmites japonicus'' Steud. – Japan, Korea, Ryukyu Islands, Russian Far East * '' Phragmites karka'' ( Retz.) Trin. ex Steud. – tropical Africa, southern Asia, Australia, some Pacific Islands, invasive in New Zealand * '' Phragmites mauritianus'' Kunth – central + southern Africa, Madagascar, Mauritius The cosmopolitan common reed has the generally accepted botanical name ''Phragmites australis''. (Cav.) Trin. ex Steud. About 130 other synonyms have been proposed. Examples include ''Phragmites communis'' Trin., ''Arundo phragmites'' L., and ''Phragmites vulgaris'' (Lam.) Crép. (illegitimate name).


Wildlife in reed beds

Common reed is very important (together with other reed-like plants) for wildlife and conservation, particularly in
Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...
and
Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an are ...
, where several species of birds are strongly tied to large ''Phragmites'' stands. The habitats for reeds in these regions are wetlands and meadows. These include: * Bearded reedling (''Panurus biarmicus'') * Reed warbler (''Acrocephalus scirpaceus'') *
Great bittern The Eurasian bittern or great bittern (''Botaurus stellaris'') is a wading bird in the bittern subfamily (Botaurinae) of the heron family Ardeidae. There are two subspecies, the northern race (''B. s. stellaris'') breeding in parts of Europe a ...
(''Botaurus stellaris'') In Australia, reedbeds provide cover for grassbirds (''Megalurus spp.''), reed warblers (''Acrocephalus spp.''), crakes (''Porzana spp.'') and bitterns (''Ixobrychus spp.'') and the Australian bittern (''Botaurus poiciloptilus'').


Uses


Cultivation

''P. australis'' is cultivated as an ornamental plant in aquatic and marginal settings such as pond- and lakesides. Its aggressive colonisation means it must be sited with care.


Phytoremediation water treatment

''Phragmites australis'' is one of the main wetland plant species used for phytoremediation water treatment. Waste water from lavatories and
greywater Greywater (or grey water, sullage, also spelled gray water in the United States) refers to domestic wastewater generated in households or office buildings from streams without fecal contamination, i.e., all streams except for the wastewater fro ...
from kitchens is routed to an underground septic tank-like compartment where the solid waste is allowed to settle out. The water then trickles through a constructed wetland or artificial reed bed, where bioremediation bacterial action on the surface of roots and leaf litter removes some of the
nutrients A nutrient is a substance used by an organism to survive, grow, and reproduce. The requirement for dietary nutrient intake applies to animals, plants, fungi, and protists. Nutrients can be incorporated into cells for metabolic purposes or excr ...
in biotransformation. The water is then suitable for irrigation,
groundwater recharge Groundwater recharge or deep drainage or deep percolation is a hydrologic process, where water moves downward from surface water to groundwater. Recharge is the primary method through which water enters an aquifer. This process usually occurs ...
, or release to natural watercourses.


Thatching

Reed is used in many areas for thatching roofs. In the
British Isles The British Isles are a group of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-western coast of continental Europe, consisting of the islands of Great Britain, Ireland, the Isle of Man, the Inner and Outer Hebrides, the Northern Isl ...
, common reed used for this purpose is known as Norfolk reed or water reed. However, "wheat reed" and "Devon reed", also used for thatching, are not in fact reed, but long-stemmed wheat straw.


Music

In
Middle East The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabian Peninsula, Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Anatolia, Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Pro ...
countries ''Phragmites'' is used to create a small instrument similar to the clarinet called a sipsi, with either a single, as in the picture, or double pipes as in bagpipes. The reed of the zurna is made from the common reed which is flattened after removing its brittle outer glaze and the loose inner membrane, and after softening it by wetting. The result is a double reed with an elliptical opening that vibrates by closing and opening at a high speed. This is not to be confused with other double reeds like that of the oboe which uses two reeds made from the giant reed leaning against each other.


Food

The leaves, roots, seeds and stems of phragmites are edible. Young shoots can be cooked or eaten raw just like bamboo shoots. The young stems, "while still green and fleshy, can be dried and pounded into a fine powder, which when moistened is roasted iclike marshmallows." The seeds and rhizomes "can be ground into flour or made into gruel." In Japan, young leaves are dried, ground, and then mixed with cereal flour to make dumplings. Grazing on phragmites by large-bodied domestic herbivores, such as cows, horses, sheep, and goats, can effectively control the plant and provide a reciprocal positive benefit for humans by generating meat, milk, leather, and wool etc.


Herbal medicine

The rhizomes of reeds, written as 蘆根 or 葦莖 in Chinese, were used in traditional Chinese medicine for illness related to the airways, such as cough, high fever, sticky and white phlegm, etc. A concoction of reed roots was believed to bring the fever away via increased urination and also help to restore body fluid.


Other uses

Some other uses for ''Phragmites australis'' and other reeds in various cultures include baskets, mats, reed pen tips ( qalam), and paper. Beekeepers can utilize the reeds to make nesting. In the
Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...
, ''Phragmites'' is known by the local name ''tambo''. Reed stands flower in December, and the blooms are harvested and bundled into whisk brooms called "walis". Hence the common name of household brooms is ''walis tambo''. Reeds have been used to make arrows and weapons such as spears for hunting game.


Invasivity and control

Some ''Phragmites'', when introduced by accident or intent, spread rapidly. In the United States, prior to 1910, only a few areas in the Northeast contained non-native haplotypes of ''Phragmites australis.'' However, by 1960 non-native haplotypes were found in samples taken from coast to coast. Today, in some places like Michigan, ''Phragmites australis ( haplotype M)'' has become the dominant haplotype. The problem is invasive non-native ''Phragmites australis'' quickly spread through marshes and wetland areas. They replace native plants, deny fish and wildlife nutrients and space; block access to the water for swimming, fishing and other recreation endeavors; spoil shoreline views; and pose a fire hazard. ''Phragmites'' can drive out competing vegetation in two ways. Their sheer height and density can deprive other plants of sunlight and the chemicals they produce when decaying reduce the germination of competing seeds. Recognizing the non-native form of ''Phragmites'' early in its invasion increases the opportunity for successful eradication dramatically. Once it has become established, removal by hand is nearly impossible. The seeds or rhizomes can quickly lead to a new dense stand. Therefore, the most successful Phragmites control treatments to date have centered around the application of an aquatic herbicide followed by burning of the roots and stalks to prevent regrowth, which can lead to noticeable improvement in pond conditions for indigenous species and migratory birds. It is important to select the proper herbicide for the location. Further, even the proper herbicide can lead to unintended consequences since a large amount of decaying dead plant material can depress oxygen levels in the water and kill all the fish in a pond or small lake. Therefore, in smaller bodies of water the recommendation is to do a quarter of a large stand every two weeks. Some success has also been obtained using goats to graze on ''Phragmites'', controlled burns, and native wild rice crops.


Gallery

Image:Riet Phragmites australis planten.jpg, Reed growth in early summer Image:Phragmites_snow_ehm.jpg, Common reed in winter, Sudbury, MA, USA Image:Phragmites in Amsterdam 2013.JPG, ''Phragmites'' in
Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the capital and most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population of 907,976 within the city proper, 1,558,755 in the urban ar ...
,
Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
Image:Phragmites_at_Farmington_Bay,_Utah.jpg, ''Phragmites'' in Farmington, Utah Image:Phragmites australis - NASA Tracks an Environmental Invader (48049936657).jpg, ''Phragmites australis'' in the Great Lakes


See also

* Constructed wetland * Meadow ** Fen Meadow * Deben Estuary *
Phytoremediation Phytoremediation technologies use living plants to clean up soil, air and water contaminated with hazardous contaminants. It is defined as "the use of green plants and the associated microorganisms, along with proper soil amendments and agronom ...
*
Reed bed A reedbed or reed bed is a natural habitat found in floodplains, waterlogged depressions and estuaries. Reedbeds are part of a succession from young reeds colonising open water or wet ground through a gradation of increasingly dry ground. As ...
* Reed boat *
Reed fields __NOTOC__ In ancient Egyptian mythology, Aaru (; egy, jꜣrw "Reeds, rushes"), known also as '' sḫt-jꜣrw'' or the Field of Reeds, is the heavenly paradise where Osiris rules. It has been described as the '' ka'' (a part of the soul) of t ...
* Reed mat


References


External links


Common Reed (''Phragmites'') Species Profile
National Invasive Species Information Center, U.S. Department of Agriculture National Agricultural Library {{Taxonbar, from=Q1976487 Molinieae Poaceae genera Edible plants Halophytes Phytoremediation plants Psychedelic tryptamine carriers