phragmites

phrag·mi·tes

P0269475 (frăg-mī′tēz)n. A rhizomatous perennial reed (Phragmites australis) found worldwide, having a very tall stem with a large purplish inflorescence and often forming dense stands in wetlands.

[Latin phragmītēs, kind of reed growing in hedges, from Greek, fencing in, from phragma, fence, from phrassein, to fence in.]

Thesaurus

Noun

Phragmites - reeds of marshes and riversides in tropical or temperate regionsgenus Phragmitesliliopsid genus, monocot genus - genus of flowering plants having a single cotyledon (embryonic leaf) in the seedfamily Graminaceae, family Gramineae, family Poaceae, Graminaceae, Gramineae, grass family, Poaceae - the grasses: chiefly herbaceous but some woody plants including cereals; bamboo; reeds; sugar canecarrizo, common reed, ditch reed, Phragmites communis - tall North American reed having relative wide leaves and large plumelike panicles; widely distributed in moist areas; used for mats, screens and arrow shafts

Phragmites

enUK

Phragmites

a genus of large perennial herbs of the family Gramineae. The plants are 0.5–5 m tall and have long, spreading rhizomes. The linear-lanceolate leaf blades measure as much as 5 cm across. The inflorescence is a dense panicle reaching 50 cm long. The spikelets are three- to seven-flowered and have longhaired awns.

There are five species: two occur in the tropics of Asia and Africa, two are found only in East Asia and Argentina, and one (P. australis—formerly P. communis) is almost cosmopolitan. P. australis is widely distributed in the USSR, except in the arctic regions. It grows along shores (mainly at depths below 1.5 m), in marshes and marshy meadows, amid thickets, and in forests. It also occurs on solonchaks, sands, slopes, and other areas with nearby groundwater; it sometimes grows as a weed in fields. The plant reproduces mainly vegetatively. It usually forms dense covers, which are especially extensive in flooded areas, lowlands, and deltas of southern rivers. Young plants are eaten by cattle and horses long before flowering. P. australis is a valuable food source for muskrat, coypu, elk, and deer. The starch-rich rhizomes may be used as food.

Phragmites are used to obtain reed board, an insulating and building material suitable for roofing, fences, woven products, and coarse papers. The plants are also used as a litter for livestock and as fuel. Plantings are sometimes used to reinforce dunes and for ornamental purposes.

REFERENCE

Koromovye rasteniia senokosov ipastbishch SSSR, vol. 1. Edited by I. V. Larin. Moscow-Leningrad, 1950.

phragmites

phrag·mi·tes

Phragmites

Phragmites

REFERENCE

Phragmites

Synonyms for Phragmites

noun reeds of marshes and riversides in tropical or temperate regions

Synonyms

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