Phragmites australis
(Cav.) Trin. ex Steud. Common ReedSemi-aquatic perennial with stout, fleshy rhizomes. Culms leafy, erect, mostly to 3 (rarely to c. 6) m high, sometimes rooting from lower nodes, upper nodes glabrous, but often concealed; leaves glabrous; sheath often remaining on culms after blades have fallen; blade flat or loosely inrolled, to 80 cm long and 4 cm wide, finely scabrous along margins, otherwise smooth; ligule a dense row of silky hairs to c. 1 mm long with scattered longer hairs. Inflorescence a dense ovoid panicle, sometimes interrupted, 10–40 cm long. Spikelets 3–8-flowered, 10–18 mm long; glumes subopposite, subequal, 4–7 mm long; florets narrow-acuminate, of decreasing length from the lowest (sterile) floret to the upper one; lemma pale and membranous at maturity; callus of bisexual florets with a tuft of fine silky hairs about as long as the lemma; palea 3–4 mm long Flowers mainly Nov.–May.
LoM, MuM, Wim, GleP, Brid, VVP, VRiv, MSB, RobP, MuF, GipP, OtP, WaP, Gold, CVU, GGr, DunT, NIS, EGL, EGU, WPro, HSF, HNF, OtR, Strz, MonT, VAlp. All states. Most countries (but not in New Zealand or Polynesia). Common, fringing lowland watercourses, swamps and poorly drained land, tolerating moderate levels of salinity.
Walsh, N.G. (1994). Poaceae. In: Walsh, N.G.; Entwisle, T.J., Flora of Victoria Vol. 2, Ferns and Allied Plants, Conifers and Monocotyledons, pp. 356–627. Inkata Press, Melbourne.