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Wildlife, Animals, and Plants
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Introductory
SPECIES: Arundo donax | Giant Reed
ABBREVIATION :
ARUDON
SYNONYMS :
NO-ENTRY
SCS PLANT CODE :
ARDO4
COMMON NAMES :
giant reed
giantreed
giant reed grass
arundo grass
river cane
TAXONOMY :
The currently accepted scientific name of giant reed is Arundo donax L.
(Gramineae) [9]. Recognized varieites are as follows [9,11]:
A. donax var. donax
A. donax var. versicolor Mill.
A. donax var. variegata Vilm.
LIFE FORM :
Graminoid
FEDERAL LEGAL STATUS :
No special status
OTHER STATUS :
NO-ENTRY
COMPILED BY AND DATE :
S. A. Snyder, December 1991
LAST REVISED BY AND DATE :
NO-ENTRY
AUTHORSHIP AND CITATION :
Snyder, S. A. 1991. Arundo donax. In: Remainder of Citation
DISTRIBUTION AND OCCURRENCE
SPECIES: Arundo donax | Giant Reed
GENERAL DISTRIBUTION :
Giant reed was introduced from the Mediterranean as an ornamental
species. It may be widely spread throughout the southern United States
in private gardens [9]. Giant reed is spreading into riparian habitats
from Arkansas and Texas west through California and may be established
in coastal areas from Maryland south through Florida [5,6,9].
ECOSYSTEMS :
FRES17 Elm - ash - cottonwood
FRES28 Western hardwoods
FRES32 Texas savanna
FRES33 Southwestern shrubsteppe
FRES41 Wet grasslands
STATES :
AL AZ AR CA FL GA HI KY MD MS
MO NM NC SC TX VA
ADMINISTRATIVE UNITS :
AMIS BIBE BRCA GRCA MEVE NATR
ORPI SAMO WHSA
BLM PHYSIOGRAPHIC REGIONS :
3 Southern Pacific Border
7 Lower Basin and Range
11 Southern Rocky Mountains
12 Colorado Plateau
13 Rocky Mountain Piedmont
14 Great Plains
KUCHLER PLANT ASSOCIATIONS :
K027 Mesquite bosque
K049 Tule marshes
K059 Trans-Pecos shrub savanna
K060 Mesquite savanna
K061 Mesquite - acacia savanna
SAF COVER TYPES :
63 Cottonwood
68 Mesquite
95 Black willow
235 Cottonwood - willow
242 Mesquite
SRM (RANGELAND) COVER TYPES :
NO-ENTRY
HABITAT TYPES AND PLANT COMMUNITIES :
Giant reed is a wetland species that invades streamsides and marshes in
the warm climate of the southern United States [14,17].
VALUE AND USE
SPECIES: Arundo donax | Giant Reed
WOOD PRODUCTS VALUE :
NO-ENTRY
IMPORTANCE TO LIVESTOCK AND WILDLIFE :
Giant reed is grazed lightly by deer [10].
PALATABILITY :
NO-ENTRY
NUTRITIONAL VALUE :
NO-ENTRY
COVER VALUE :
Giant reed provides nesting and hiding cover for waterfowl and
shorebirds [18] but outcompetes native riparian vegetation that may be
more important to wildlife [17].
VALUE FOR REHABILITATION OF DISTURBED SITES :
Although it is an agressive and oftentimes undesirable species, giant
reed can be planted on landslide scarred areas to prevent soil erosion.
Horton [10] recommended planting it on steep slopes with shallow soil in
sunny areas. Rhizomes 6 to 12 inches (15-30 cm) long can be planted in
furrows 4 to 6 inches (10-15 cm) deep; stem cuttings 12 to 18 inches
long can also be used.
OTHER USES AND VALUES :
Giant reed is often planted as an ornamental grass [3]. Its culms have
been used to make lattices, mats, and reeds for musical instruments [9].
MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS :
Giant reed is considered a nuisance species because it invades riparian
areas and chokes out native vegetation. If cut or disturbed by
earth-moving machinery it quickly recovers and spreads more aggressively
[15,17]. Herbicides can effectively eradicate giant reed. Glyphosate
applications during spring, summer, and fall in California were
successful in killing giant reed if applied by the cut-stem method.
Foliar spray methods showed a 10 to 90 percent success rate for killing
plants, compared to a 100 percent success rate for the cut-stem method [7].
Giant reed is dependent on frequent flooding, and a few years of drought
have kept plants from spreading in parts of the Southwest [17].
BOTANICAL AND ECOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS
SPECIES: Arundo donax | Giant Reed
GENERAL BOTANICAL CHARACTERISTICS :
Giant reed is an introduced, perennial grass that grows in clumps to
heights of 6 to 18 feet (3-6 m) [3,6]. In warm climates its panicles
can grow 7.9 to 15.7 inches (20-40 cm) long. Its leaves are 2 to 2.5
inches (5-6 cm) wide. The roots are extensive and densely matted [10].
Plants can form dense floating mats in streams and rivers [14]. Giant
reed is very similar to common reed (Phragmites australis) but has hairy
lemmas and smooth rachillas while common reed has smooth lemmas and
hairy rachillas [5].
RAUNKIAER LIFE FORM :
Phanerophyte
Geophyte
Hydrophyte
REGENERATION PROCESSES :
Giant reed is propagated mainly by rhizomes or culm cuttings [3]. Stem
segments can slough off and reestablish themselves where they fall [17].
Giant reed may only flower at "several year intervals" [17]. Its seeds
are dispersed by birds, wind, and water [17].
SITE CHARACTERISTICS :
Giant reed is predominantly a riparian species that aggressively
colonizes riverbanks, marshes, and floodplains in the southern United
States [2,5,14]. It grows in warm, sunny areas below 5,000 feet (1,524
m) on either steep or flat ground [10]. Much of the soils in these
areas are derived from limestone parent material [2]. Giant reed
density increases as it nears the water's edge [17].
Some plant associates of giant reed include willow (Salix spp.),
mesquite (Prosopis spp.), tree tobacco (Nicotiana glauca), pecan (Carya
spp.), California sycamore (Plantanus racemosa), saltcedar (Tamarix
gallica), mulberry (Morus spp.), common reed, burmudagrass (Cynodon
dactylon), seepwillow (Baccharis salicifolia), spiney aster (Aster
spinosus), horsetail rush (Equisetum spp.), and burrobrush (Hymenoclea
spp.) [2,14].
SUCCESSIONAL STATUS :
Facultative Seral Species
Giant reed can become the climax species in some riparian areas by
preventing the establishment and growth of native riparian communities
[17]. In many parts of the Southwest, giant reed is replacing the
native common reed [5].
SEASONAL DEVELOPMENT :
Giant reed is a rapidly growing species that may only flower once every
"several years" between September and October [6,17]. Growth rates in
California have been reported as follows [17]:
Established Colony* Original Stand
time avg max. stem ht. time avg max. stem ht.
40 days after cut 8.2 ft (2.5 m) 4 years 12.5 ft (3.8 m)
150 days after cut 13.2 ft (4.0 m) 35 years 19.4 ft (5.9 m)
*Established colonies are those with previously established rhizomes.
Growth rates of established rhizomes averaged 2.46 inches (6.25 cm) per
day after 40 days growth and 1.05 inches (2.67 cm) per day after 150
days growth [17].
FIRE ECOLOGY
SPECIES: Arundo donax | Giant Reed
FIRE ECOLOGY OR ADAPTATIONS :
Giant reed develops a tangled mass of flammable shoots and dry leaves at
maturity. Its underground rhizomes, however, survive most fires [10].
POSTFIRE REGENERATION STRATEGY :
Rhizomatous herb, rhizome in soil
Initial-offsite colonizer (off-site, initial community)
FIRE EFFECTS
SPECIES: Arundo donax | Giant Reed
IMMEDIATE FIRE EFFECT ON PLANT :
NO-ENTRY
DISCUSSION AND QUALIFICATION OF FIRE EFFECT :
NO-ENTRY
PLANT RESPONSE TO FIRE :
Giant reed sprouts vigorously from surviving rhizomes following fire
[10].
DISCUSSION AND QUALIFICATION OF PLANT RESPONSE :
NO-ENTRY
FIRE MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS :
NO-ENTRY
REFERENCES
SPECIES: Arundo donax | Giant Reed
REFERENCES :
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associations for the eleven western states. Tech. Note 301. Denver, CO:
U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management. 169 p.
[434]
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east-central periphery of the Chihuahuan Desert. In: Wauer, Roland H.;
Riskind, David H., eds. Transactions of the symposium on the biological
resources of the Chihuahuan Desert region, United States and Mexico;
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584 p. [719]
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5. Felger, Richard S. 1990. Non-native plants of Organ Pipe Cactus National
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School of Renewable Natural Resources, Cooperative National Park
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7. Finn, Monica; Martin, Harley; Minnesang, Dave. 1990. Control of giant
reed grass in a southern California riparian habitat. Restoration &
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ecosystems. Agric. Handb. 475. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of
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9. Hitchcock, A. S. 1951. Manual of the grasses of the United States. Misc.
Publ. No. 200. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Agriculture,
Agricultural Research Administration. 1051 p. [2nd edition revised by
Agnes Chase in two volumes. New York: Dover Publications, Inc.]. [1165]
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Carolina Press; in confederation with Anne H. Lindsey and C. Richie
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following large northern Rocky Mountain wildfires. In: Proceedings, Tall
Timbers fire ecology conference and Intermountain Fire Research Council
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Reserve: a seven year summary. In: Hughes, H. Glenn; Bonnicksen, Thomas
M., eds. Restoration '89: the new management challenge: Proceedings, 1st
annual meeting of the Society for Ecological Restoration; 1989 January
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geography. Oxford: Clarendon Press. 632 p. [2843]
17. Rieger, John P.; Kreager, D. Ann. 1989. Giant reed (Arundo donax): a
climax community of the riparian zone. In: Protection, management, and
restoration for the 1990's: Proceedings of the California Riparian
Systems conference; 1988 September 22-24; Davis, CA. Gen. Tech. Rep.
PSW-110. Berkeley, CA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service,
Pacific Southwest Forest and Range Experiment Station: 222-225. [13884]
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and biological resources in riparian habitats of western Texas. In:
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for protection & mgmt. of floodplain wetlands & other riparian
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Index
Related categories for Species: Arundo donax
| Giant Reed
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