Common ReedPhragmites australis subsp. australis (Cavanilles) Trinius
Taxon ID: 4096
Summary
Common Reed is a subspecies of Phragmites australis.
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Records
MBP has 492 records spanning 21 counties. We still need records from Garrett, Allegany, and Washington.
Media
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Details
Status
This invasive species is common in many wet areas, forming tall dense stands that smother native vegetation. It is native to Europe.
This species' invasion has been "of great concern to both private and public land owners and managers since invasive P. australis typically will rapidly exclude other vegetation and form a monoculture" (Meadows & Saltonstall, 2007).
This species' invasion has been "of great concern to both private and public land owners and managers since invasive P. australis typically will rapidly exclude other vegetation and form a monoculture" (Meadows & Saltonstall, 2007).
Description
"Characters used to distinguish the two population types included degree of senescence (introduced plants remained green well into November while native plants had already senesced), culm color (maroon or bright yellow color indicated native), degree to which leaf sheaths were attached to the culms (introduced plants retain their leaf sheaths on the culm while natives tend to drop their leaves and leaf sheaths after senescing), and presence/absence of culm spots (native plants may have black spots near the nodes; Blossey 2002, Saltonstall et al. 2004)" (Meadows & Saltonstall, 2007).
Relationships
The larva of the moth Sclerocona acutella use Common Reed as a host plant. Broad-winged Skipper also uses Common Reed as a host plant.
MBP marks as "Invasive" any taxon listed in the Maryland Invasive Species Council (MISC) list of Invasive Species of Concern in Maryland. You can read their criteria and review the lists here: https://mdinvasives.org/species-of-concern/.
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Synonyms
Phragmites communis
Phragmites phragmites
Citations
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