Phragmites australisCommon Reed

Phragmites australis is among the most widely distributed flowering plants on earth, found on every continent except Antarctica, and it behaves the same way everywhere: dense stands of tall canes rising two to four metres from saturated ground, topped by feathery purple-brown plumes in late summer.

It is specified deliberately for constructed wetlands, reed-bed treatment systems and bank stabilisation, where its appetite for nutrients and its dense rhizome mat are exactly the point. In an ornamental pond it is a mistake, because that same rhizome will take the whole thing.

Specifications

• Height2 to 4 metres, occasionally to 6 metres
• WidthSpreads indefinitely by rhizome and stolon and must be contained
• Native toCosmopolitan, occurring on every continent except Antarctica
• FoliageBroad flat grey-green blades on tall canes; deciduous, with the dry canes standing through winter
• Growth rateFast

Conditions

• SoilRequires saturated or seasonally saturated ground; tolerates brackish and nutrient-rich conditions
• LightFull sun
• WaterHigh; grows in standing water to around a metre deep
• ClimateThrives across an exceptionally wide climate range, from cool temperate to tropical

Additional Features

• FlowersFeathery purple-brown plumes in late summer, fading to silver-buff and persisting
• UsesConstructed wetlands, reed-bed water treatment, bank and shoreline stabilisation and screening
• SpacingPlant 0.6 to 1.0 metres apart within a contained bed; it will close the gaps within a season
• Low MaintenanceCut the canes annually and inspect the containment; without a barrier it will spread beyond its bed
• Pest ResistanceRobust and largely untroubled
• Salt ToleranceTolerates brackish water and saline shoreline conditions
• Wind ToleranceFlexible canes stand through exposed conditions and act as an effective windbreak
• Environmental BenefitsUsed specifically for nutrient stripping and phytoremediation in treatment wetlands, and the dense rhizome mat is one of the most effective bank stabilisers available

The Common Reed is a functional wetland species for treatment systems and bank stabilisation, and it must always be planted with containment.