A guide to nonnative invasive plants inventoried in the north by ...

Phragmites australis
Common reed PHAU7
Phragmites
Form: Large grass up to 13 ft (4 m) tall with stout rhizomes;
stems hollow.
Leaves: Leaves ¾-1½ in. (2-4 cm) wide, ligules short about
1/16 in. (1 mm), truncate and fringed.
Flowers/fruit: Inflorescence densely pubescent, often
purplish when young; glumes unequal, lemmas narrow and
long-tapering.
Habitat: Wetland forests, swamps, and wet shores.
Other distinguishing features/notes: Both native and
nonnative Phragmites occur in the United States. Nonnative
genotype has become invasive and invasive populations
can be distinguished from probable native populations by
the density of the population. Native populations tend to be
sparser and intermixed with other plants. See this Web site
for a great PowerPoint that shows a few characteristics that
can help narrow this grass down in the field: http://www.nps.
gov/plants/alien/fact/pdf/phau1-powerpoint.pdf
Notes