General: Common Reed (Phragmites australis) is the tallest (10-12 feet) native species of grass in the Mojave Desert, looking more like bamboo than a typical grass.

Common Reed is an uncommon component of wet vegetation associations (wetlands, along washes and rivers) in the Lower Sonoran (Creosote-Bursage Flats) and Upper Sonoran (Mojave Desert Scrub and Pinyon-Juniper Woodland) life zones.

Family: Grass (Poaceae).

Other Names: Phragmites, Phragmites communis.

Plant Form: Tall, perennial grass forming dense stands.

Height: 10-12 feet.

Stems: Stem tall, erect, round, hollow.

Leaves: Alternate, 2-ranked, linear; blades 10-20 inches long, 1/2 to 2 inches wide.

Flowers: Blooms July through November. Inflorescence panicle-like, to 2-feet long, plume-like, oblong.

Seeds: Tiny, achene-like grain (like a tiny sunflower seed).

Habitat: Pond edges, springs, stream edges, riverbanks, and other wet areas.

Elevation: To about 5,500 feet.

Distribution: Worldwide.

Comments: Common Reed is considered a noxious weed in some places, and currently there is debate among desert ecologists as to whether this species should be considered a native plant or an alien, invasive plant. It certainly is an invasive species that grows in dense, monotypic stands and crowds out other wetland species.