Phragmites australis Seeds | Common Reed
LATIN NAME: Phragmites australis
COMMON NAME: Common Reed
Plant Profile
Common Reed (Phragmites australis) grows as a tall, vigorous, clumping grass. It spreads quickly by creeping rhizomes into a dense, towering stand, and it stands cold, flooding and poor, muddy soils well. It does well in sun and wet, silty ground. Taken as a whole, it is a plant that repays a little attention many times over.
Science & Biotechnology
Within the Phragmites group, Phragmites australis is of continuing interest to researchers working on plant diversity, seed biology and the selection of improved garden forms. Common reed has a real and distinguished place in the research. In the laboratory and trial ground alike, it serves as workable material for propagation research and line selection.
Uses & Benefits
Common Reed brings genuine presence to the garden and earns its keep across the growing season. Ecologically, common reed is a generous plant of the wetland. Its tall, dense, plume-like heads feed seed-eating birds, and its tall, dense reed-beds give a fine home and a shelter to many birds and wildlife of the wetland. Common reed spreads freely in wet ground, so it is best grown in contained beds of large garden. Once it has settled, the workload drops to almost nothing.
Common reed is a wetland engineer, filtering water in constructed wetlands, and its rhizome, Lu Gen, is a classical Chinese cooling herb for thirst and irritability.
Growing from Seed
Sow fresh seed of Common Reed under ordinary good conditions. Surface-sow onto a light, well-drained compost, dust over a thin covering, and keep evenly moist and sunny until the seedlings show. Transplant the sturdiest seedlings to their permanent spots and let them develop without disturbance.
Our Take
Common Reed settles in quickly once it finds its footing. Minor errors in timing or watering rarely cost the grower the crop.
Related Reading
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