Common Reed
Phragmites australis, known as the common reed, is a species of flowering plant in the grass family Poaceae. It is a wetland grass that can grow up to 20 feet (6 metres) tall and has a cosmopolitan distribution worldwide.
It is a helophyte (aquatic plant), especially common in alkaline habitats, and it also tolerates brackish water, and so is often found at the upper edges of estuaries and on other wetlands which are occasionally inundated by the sea.
In North America, the status of the common reed is a source of confusion and debate. It is commonly considered a non-native and often invasive species, introduced from Europe in the 1800s.