ID: Arundo vs Phragmites

An excellent photo-based resource for telling Arundo from Phragmites is at http://desertfishes.org/cuatroc/organisms/non-native/arundo/Arundo_Phrag_id/Arundo_Phrag_id.html

Arundo is much larger, hence the "Giant Reed" name. Stalks can reach 20 or more feet in height. The leaves are broader, and the canes are thicker. The base of the leaf blade wraps over halfway around the stem, and has large white/beige/yellow auricles that are prominent. In the autumn, it produces a stiff, upright plume of an inflorescence.

Phragmites can reach about 12 feet tall. The leaves and canes are more slender. The base of the leaf blade wraps less than halfway around the stem, and the auricles are smaller. The inflorescence is looser, and droopy.

Tucker, 1990, has an excellent detailed key for those interested in formal descriptions. https://www.jstor.org/stable/43782240

In Texas, these differences will allow ID to the genus level.

The only Arundo that has been documented in Texas is Arundo donax.

The only Phragmites documented in Texas is Phragmites australis.

There are several subspecies of Phragmites in the New World:
Phragmites australis ssp. americanus "American Common Reed"
Phragmites australis ssp. australis "European Reed"
Phragmites australis ssp. berlandieri "Subtropical Common Reed".
The distribution of these subspecies apparently overlaps in Texas, and they are very difficult to tell apart from photos.

Julkaistu lokakuu 10, 2023 09:50 IP. käyttäjältä aenglandbiol