Giant reed
Arundo donax
family
Poaceae
origin
Exotic
declaration
NIL
For information only
Common names
Giant reed, Arundo, Bamboo reed, Elephant grass, False bamboo, Spanish reed.
A very large, reed-like, clump-forming, grass growing up to 8 m tall. Its robust upright stems arise from short, thick, creeping underground stems. Its leaves are very large (5-100 cm long and 1-8 cm wide), relatively narrow, and are sometimes variegated. Its seed-head is a very large plume-like open panicle (30-70 cm long) that is borne at the top of the stems. The seed-heads contain numerous flower spikelets (8-15 mm long) bearing long silky hairs.
Impact
Impact
Giant reed (Arundo donax) is regarded as an environmental weed in New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia and was recently listed as a priority environmental weed in at least one Natural Resource Management region. It is currently of most concern in south-eastern Queensland, where it is ranked among the top 200 most invasive plant species, and in eastern New South Wales (particularly in the North Coast and the wider Sydney and Blue Mountains regions). Giant reed (Arundo donax) usually grows along river banks and roadsides and in moist or wet sites (e.g. in swamps, wetlands, drainage channels and ditches) where it spreads by underground stems (i.e. rhizomes) and forms large dense colonies. These stands out-compete other vegetation and eventually displace native plants and animals. It is also invasive in the USA, particularly in Florida and California, where it is a problem in riparian areas and along roadsides. In densely infested areas it has replaced native plants along rivers, such as willows and cottonwoods, thereby interfering with water flow and displacing riverside habitat. Colonies of giant reed (Arundo donax) covering hundreds of acres have been recorded. It is highly flammable and can change fire regimes in invaded areas, thereby transforming riparian communities of native plants into solid stands of this species. Because of these impacts, it has been listed in the Global Invasive Species Database and is regarded to be among the top 100 of the world’s worst invasive species.
Location
Location
Characteristics
Characteristics
Similar Species
Similar Species
Giant reed (Arundo donax) is regarded as an environmental weed in New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia and was recently listed as a priority environmental weed in at least one Natural Resource Management region. It is currently of most concern in south-eastern Queensland, where it is ranked among the top 200 most invasive plant species, and in eastern New South Wales (particularly in the North Coast and the wider Sydney and Blue Mountains regions). Giant reed (Arundo donax) usually grows along river banks and roadsides and in moist or wet sites (e.g. in swamps, wetlands, drainage channels and ditches) where it spreads by underground stems (i.e. rhizomes) and forms large dense colonies. These stands out-compete other vegetation and eventually displace native plants and animals. It is also invasive in the USA, particularly in Florida and California, where it is a problem in riparian areas and along roadsides. In densely infested areas it has replaced native plants along rivers, such as willows and cottonwoods, thereby interfering with water flow and displacing riverside habitat. Colonies of giant reed (Arundo donax) covering hundreds of acres have been recorded. It is highly flammable and can change fire regimes in invaded areas, thereby transforming riparian communities of native plants into solid stands of this species. Because of these impacts, it has been listed in the Global Invasive Species Database and is regarded to be among the top 100 of the world’s worst invasive species.
