Common Reed

Commonly found along lake edges, in ditches, marshes, and canals, this plant is often utilized in thatching and cultivated in reed-beds for water purification purposes. Flowering period: August to September. Deciduous perennial. Indigenous.

Identification

The plant features large, feathery flower-heads that are one-sided, branched, and spreading. It bears numerous dark purplish-brown spikelets without awns but with long silky hairs on stalks. Its flat, smooth leaves are greyish beneath, with split sheaths and a line of short hairs instead of ligules. Stems can reach heights of 125-250cm.