Common Reed
Common Reed
Grass
Britain's tallest grass — the plant that builds reedbeds. Hidden air channels let it breathe in waterlogged mud, and it may have the widest range of any flowering plant on Earth.
💡 Fun Facts
- This is the tallest grass in Britain, growing taller than an adult — up to about three and a half metres.
- It builds reedbeds: whole watery forests of reed that are home to birds like the booming bittern.
- It may have the widest spread of any flowering plant on Earth, growing on every continent except Antarctica.
📅 Through the Year
- Flowering:August to October
- Fruiting:September to November
Name Story
Phragmites australis
means “the southern fence-reed”
What does its name mean?
- Phragmites — of a fence or screenGreek phragmos ‘fence, screen’
- australis — southernLatin auster ‘the south wind’
The first word means ‘of a fence’ — reeds grow in dense, tall stands that people have long cut and woven into screens, fences and thatch. The second word means ‘southern’, from the Latin for the south wind. It has nothing to do with Australia: this reed grows almost all over the world.