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Arundo donax

(Giant Reed)

Overview

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Grass . Giant reed is a perennial grass which has been widely introduced into primarily riparian zones and wetlands in subtropical and temperate areas of the world. Once established , it forms dense, homogenous stands at the expense of native plant species, altering the habitat of the local wildlife. It is also both a fire and flood hazard.

Interesting Facts

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Common Names

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Click on the language to view common names.

Common Names in Arabic:

Ghâb Baladî, Ghâb Rûmî

Common Names in Chinese:

Dong Mi Cao, Lü Zhu, Lu Zhu, Lu Zhu (Medicinal Name), Lu Zhu (Taiwan)

Common Names in Danish:

Pælerør, Pilerør

Common Names in Dutch:

Italiaans Riet, Spaans Riet

Common Names in English:

Giant Reed, Arundo, Arundo Grass, Bamboo Reed, Cane, Cow Cane, Donax Cane, Giant Cane, Giant-Reed, Giantreed, Reed Grass, Reedgrass, River Cane, Spaanse-Riet, Spanish Cane, Spanish Reed, Spanish-Reed

Common Names in Fijian:

Ngasau Ni Vavalangi

Common Names in French:

Canne De Provence, Grand Roseau

Common Names in German:

Pfahlrohr, Riesenschilf, Spanisches Rohr

Common Names in Hindi:

Narkhat

Common Names in Italian:

Canna Comune, Canna Di Provenza

Common Names in Japanese:

Dan Chiku, Yoshi Take

Common Names in Nepalese:

(Thuulo Narakata) Thulo Narkat

Common Names in Portuguese:

Cana Palustre, Cana-Do-Brejo, Cana-Do-Reino, Canno Do Reino, Canno-Do-Reino, Capim-Plumoso

Common Names in Russian:

Arundo Trostnikovii

Common Names in Spanish:

Caña Común, Caña De Castilla, Cana, Carrizo Grande

Common Names in Thai:

Oo

Description

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Physical Description

Species Arundo donax

Robust reed from a thick knotty rhizome. Culms very stout, erect , 2-6 m tall, 1-1.5 cm in diam., unbranched or with bamboolike clusters of slender branches from nodes. Leaf sheaths longer than internodes, usually glabrous except long pilose at mouth ; leaf blades 30-60 × 2-5 cm, margins scabrous , tapering to a slender filiform apex; ligule 0.7-1.5 mm. Panicle 30-60 cm, dense, usually purplish; branches 10-25 cm, ascending . Spikelets 10-15 mm, florets 2-5; glumes narrowly lanceolate, 8-12 mm, 3-5-veined, lower glume acute, upper glume sharply acuminate; lemmas linear-lanceolate, 8-11 mm, 3-7-veined, dorsal hairs 5-6 mm, apex minutely bidentate with 1-2 mm awnlet from sinus , lateral veins also shortly extended; palea 1/2 length of lemma body. Fl. and fr. Oct-Dec. [source]

Forms with variegated leaf blades are sometimes cultivated in gar-dens, e.g. , var. versicolor (Miller) Stokes (Arundo versicolor Miller), with longitudinally green- and white-striped leaf blades. Arundo donax var. coleotricha refers to a wild variant with pubescent leaf sheaths. [source]

Habit: Subshrub , Shrub

Flowers: Bloom Period: July, August. • Flower Color: cream, tan

Size/Age/Growth

Size: 12-15' tall.

Habitat

River banks and other damp places, but it will also grow when planted in dryish habitats . Fujian, Guangdong, Guizhou, Hainan, Hunan, Jiangsu, Sichuan, Xizang, Yunnan, Zhejiang [Afghanistan, Bhutan, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Japan, Kazakhstan, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Thailand, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Vietnam; N Africa, C and SW Asia, S Europe; widely introduced elsewhere] (Ref. 51105).

Invades riparian zones of low-gradient rivers and along ditches, and some wetlands and coastal marshlands. Once established , it can form huge clones, sometimes covering hundreds of acres . In Hawai'i, it naturalizes in coastal areas, often in thickets (Wagner et al, 1990). In Fiji, it is widespread on hillsides, in open forest , and along roadsides, up to about 200 m (Smith, 1979).

Typically found at an altitude of 0 to 4,653 meters (0 to 15,266 feet).[1]

Ecology: Displaces native riparian vegetation and provides poor habitat for terrestrial insects and wildlife. Traps sediments and narrows flood channel , leading to erosion and overbank flooding. Promotes wildfire and debris blocks streamflow and damages bridges .May reduce water availablility through high evapotranspiration.

Biology

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Reproduction

Duration: Perennial

Growth

Culture: Space 12-15' apart.

Soil: Minimum pH: 6.1 • Maximum pH: 7.8

Sunlight: Sun Exposure: Full Sun .

Temperature: Cold Hardiness: 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b, 9a, 9b, 10a, 10b. (map)

Taxonomy

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Synonyms

Arundo L. • Arundo Linnaeus • Arundo versicolor P. Mill.

Similar Species

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Members of the genus Arundo

ZipcodeZoo has pages for 13 species, subspecies, varieties, forms, and cultivars in this genus:

A. canadensis (Canadian Giant Reed) · A. donax (Giant Reed) · A. donax var. donax (Giant Reed) · A. donax 'Macrophylla' (Giant Reed) · A. donax 'Variegata' (Variegata Striped Giant Reed) · A. donax 'Versicolor' (White-Striped Leaf Giant Reed) · A. epigeios (Chee Reed Grass) · A. formosana (Taiwan Grass) · A. formosana 'Golden Fountain' (Taiwan Grass) · A. formosana 'Green Fountain' (Taiwan Grass) · A. isiaca (Persian Cane) · A. phragmites (Giant Reed) · A. plinii (Dwarf Reed)

More Info

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Further Reading

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Notes

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Contributors

Data Sources

Accessed through GBIF Data Portal November 12, 2007:

Identifiers

Footnotes

  1. Mean = 374.390 meters (1,228.314 feet), Standard Deviation = 692.020 based on 488 observations. Altitude information for each observation from British Oceanographic Data Centre. [back]
Last Revised: 7/14/2012