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National Invasive Species Information Center
U.S. Department of Agriculture
Home / Aquatic Invasives / Aquatic Plants / Common Reed

Common Reed

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Common reed
Common reed, flowers - Photo by Leslie J. Mehrhoff; University of Connecticut
Scientific Name: 
Phragmites australis (Cav.) Trin. ex Steud. (ITIS)
Common Name: 
Common reed
Native To: 
Native to the U.S., but the more invasive strains originated in Europe (Tulbure et al. 2007)
Date of U.S. Introduction: 
Invasive European strains probably introduced during the 1800s (Saltonstall 2002)
Means of Introduction: 
Possibly through ships' ballast (Saltonstall 2002)
Impact: 
Crowds out native species (Tewksbury et al. 2002)

Distribution / Maps / Survey Status

Early Detection & Distribution Mapping System (EDDMapS) - Common Reed
University of Georgia. Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health.
Provides state, county, point and GIS data. Maps can be downloaded and shared.

Images

Google Images - Common Reed
Google.
Invasive.org - Common Reed
University of Georgia. Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health.

Videos

YouTube - Adirondack Invasives: Phragmites

Google. YouTube; Nature Conservancy.

YouTube - Spotlight on Invasive Species: Phragmites

Google. YouTube; Southeast Michigan Council of Governments.

Selected Resources

The section below contains highly relevant resources for this species, organized by source. Or, to display all related content view all resources for Common Reed.

Council or Task Force
Fact Sheet: Phragmites (Apr 2016) (PDF | 1.2 MB)
Alberta Invasive Species Council (Canada).
See also: Fact Sheets for more information about individual invasive species, including those listed as "Prohibited Noxious" and "Noxious" under the Alberta Weed Control Act
Invasive Plants of Ohio: Fact Sheet 5 - Common Reed Grass (Phragmites) (PDF | 325 KB)
Ohio Invasive Plants Council.
See also: Invasive Plants of Ohio for worst invasive plant species identified in Ohio's natural areas
Priority Species: Common Reed

Washington State Recreation and Conservation Office. Washington Invasive Species Council.

Partnership
Alaska Exotic Plants Information Clearinghouse (AKEPIC): Species Biography - Common Reed (Feb 17, 2011) (PDF | 262 KB)
University of Alaska - Anchorage. Alaska Center for Conservation Science.
See also: Non-Native Plant Species List for additional factsheets (species biographies) and species risk assessment reports of non-native species present in Alaska and also non-native species currently not recorded in Alaska (potential invasives).
Global Invasive Species Database - Phragmites australis (grass)
IUCN. Species Survival Commission. Invasive Species Specialist Group.
Invaders Factsheet: Invasive Phragmites

Ontario's Invading Species Awareness Program (Canada).

Invasive Plant Atlas of the United States - Common Reed
University of Georgia. Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health.
Invasive Species Compendium - Phragmites australis
CAB International.
New York Invasive Species Information - Common Reed

New York Invasive Species Clearinghouse.

Ontario Phragmites Working Group

Ontario Phragmites Working Group.

Phragmites Basics
Great Lakes Commission. Great Lakes Phragmites Collaborative.
Plantwise Technical Factsheet - Common Reed (Phragmites australis)
CABI. Plantwise Knowledge Bank.
TISI Inventory - Common Reed
Texas State University System. Texas Invasive Species Institute.
Federal Government
Fire Effects Information System (FEIS) - Phragmites australis
USDA. FS. Rocky Mountain Research Station. Fire Sciences Laboratory.
National Exotic Marine and Estuarine Species Information System (NEMESIS): Chesapeake Bay Introduced Species Database - Phragmites australis

Smithsonian Institution. Smithsonian Environmental Research Center. Marine Invasions Research Lab.

PLANTS Database - Common Reed
USDA. NRCS. National Plant Data Center.
U.S. National Plant Germplasm System - Phragmites australis

USDA. ARS. National Genetic Resources Program. GRIN-Global.

State and Local Government
Noxious Weed Fact Sheet: Common Reed (Feb 2017) (PDF | 397 KB)

Thurston County Noxious Weed Control (Washington).

See also: Noxious Weed Fact Sheets for more species

A Guide to the Control and Management of Invasive Phragmites (2014) (PDF | 5.86 MB)

Michigan Department of Environmental Quality.

See also: Michigan Invasive Species - Phragmites

Class B Noxious Weed: Common Reed
Washington State Noxious Weed Control Board.
Field Guide: Invasive - Common Reed
Missouri Department of Conservation.
Invasive Plants in Pennsylvania: Common Reed (PDF | 671 KB)

Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.

See also: Invasive Plant Fact Sheets for plant species (trees, shrubs, vines, herbs and aquatic plants) that have impacted the state's natural lands

Academic
Aquatic Invasive Species in the Chesapeake Bay - Phragmites (Sep 2013) (PDF | 134 KB)

Maryland Sea Grant.

See also: Six Species of Concern for more fact sheets
Invasive Plant Fact Sheet - Common Reed (Nov 2011) (PDF | 132 KB)
University of Pennsylvania. The Pennsylvania Flora Project of Morris Arboretum.
See also: Invasive Plant Fact Sheets for additional invasive plants in Pennsylvania
AIS in Minnesota - Phragmites

University of Minnesota. Minnesota Aquatic Invasive Species Research Center.

See also: Phragmites research

AQUAPLANT - Common Reed
Texas A&M University. AgriLife Extension Service. Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences.
Factsheet: Phragmites
Pennsylvania State University. Pennsylvania Sea Grant.
See also: Aquatic Invasive Species: Resources for additional species information
Introduced Species Summary Project - Common Reed
Columbia University. Center for Environmental Research and Conservation.
Maine Invasive Plants Bulletin: Common Reed
University of Maine. Cooperative Extension.
See also: Maine Invasive Plants & Entire Series for entire series of 22 fact sheets and invasive plants brochure (available in HTML/PDF or for purchase)
Ohio Perennial & Biennial Weed Guide - Common Reed
Ohio State University. Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center.

Citations