Phragmites

Phragmites is a genus of large perennial reed grasses, family Poaceae, with four species recognized by the World Checklist of Selected Plant Families, found in wetlands throughout temperate and tropical regions of the world. Plants grow tall and form dense stands in wetland environments, spreading through rhizomes typically concentrated in the top 15 to 30 centimeters of soil but capable of extending several meters deeper. Phragmites australis, the common reed, has the widest distribution of any species in the genus and has been used by humans for water treatment, musical instruments and food, though non-native populations have become problematic invasive species in North American wetlands; other species include Phragmites karka, an abundant invasive species across tropical and subtropical regions, Phragmites japonicus of East Asia, and Phragmites mauritianus, native to Africa and nearby islands.