Common Reed

Phragmites australis

no photo — written note
photo: Wikimedia Commons
Plants

Four-metre canes with feathery plumes crowding out marsh along ditches and dunes.

Field facts
HabitatMarsh, roadside ditches, dune wetlands
RangeStatewide, worst in the northwest
When to lookPlumes August through winter
StatusInvasive (introduced strain) (Indiana DNR / IUCN Red List)
Look-alikesNative Phragmites strain, Giant Reed plantings

Field note: A rare native strain exists in Indiana, told apart by looser stands and redder stems.

Lesson
Watching responsibly

Never cut and move canes; fragments root and start new stands.

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