Weeds of Australia - Fact Sheet

Top Scientific Name Synonyms Family Common Names Origin Naturalised Distribution Notes

Scientific Name

Phragmites australis (Cav.) Trin. ex Steud.

Synonyms

Arundo australis Cav.
Arundo phragmites L.
Arundo vulgaris Lam.
Phragmites communis Trin.
Phragmites vulgaris (Lam.) Crép.

Family

Gramineae (South Australia)
Poaceae (Queensland, New South Wales, the ACT, Victoria, Tasmania, Western Australia and the Northern Territory)

Common Names

bamboo reed, cane grass, canegrass, common phragmites reed, common reed, common reedgrass, ditch reed, giant reed, giant reedgrass, native reed, phragmites, reed grass

Origin

The exact native range of common reed (Phragmites australis) is obscure, but it is considered to be native to large parts of the world and may even have the widest distribution of any flowering plant. It is thought to be native to Africa, Europe, northern and western Asia, North America, Central America, South America and most of northern and eastern Australia. In Australia, it is native to Queensland, New South Wales, the ACT, Victoria, Tasmania, eastern and northern South Australia and the southern and northern parts of the Northern Territory.

Naturalised Distribution

Naturalised in the coastal districts of south-western Western Australia.

Also naturalised in New Zealand, on several Pacific islands, and perhaps elsewhere.

Notes

Common reed (Phragmites australis) is regarded as an environmental weed in Western Australia.