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Giant Reed
Grass Family
Giant reed (Arundo donax), also known as arundo, is an aggressive
invader of riparian areas, ditches and other wet sites throughout
California. It is not well established in Sequoia and Kings Canyon
National Parks, but it is a species of special concern.
Giant reed seems to have originated in Asia and has spread to southern
Europe, the Middle East, Australia, and the Americas. It is considered
to be well adapted to extreme fire events, and in fact it seems to
promote fire. Arundo has the alarming tendency to displace nearly
all native species from the areas which it invades. It is known to
take over large portions of low-elevation stream beds and to form
dense, very persistent thickets.
Identification
Giant reed is a bamboo-like perennial grass that can grow up to eight
meters (10 feet) in height. It has thick creeping rootstocks. The
stems are hollow and can reach 4 centimeters (1.6 inches) in diameter.
The flower clusters are plume-like, often purplish in color, and can
reach 60 centimeters (2 feet) in height. Arundo turns mostly brown
in the wintertime, and grows most vigorously in late spring and early
summer. Aside from cultivated bamboo, there are no grasses in California
that could be mistaken for giant reed.
Natural History
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Giant reed can grow up to eight
meters (10 feet) in height.
Photo by Brother Alfred Brousseau,
St. Mary's College.
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Giant reed requires a tremendous amount of water to persist. This,
coupled with its ability to quickly dominate entire stream channels,
makes arundo a particularly pernicious weed in the thirsty state of
California.
Little is known about arundo's reproductive ability in California.
There are no observations of the plant sexually reproducing in this
state; it appears to spread to new locations via fragments of stems
and rootstocks, especially during flood events.
Management
There are a few small populations known to be in Sequoia National
Park. All are in and around the Ash Mountain area. Natural Resource
Management Personnel began eradication of this species in 2002.
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