Warriewood Wetlands Plants
Phragmites australis
Common Reed
Phragmites australis
| DESCRIPTION:
Its tall reeds look like bamboo. The stout stem
grows to 3metres tall. Each stem starts off
green and then turns purplish brown.The
leaves are wrapped tightly around the stem.
At the bottom of the leaf it is 3cm wide and as
it goes up it gets narrower and narrower
untils it gets to a point.
HABITAT:
It lives in shallow fresh and brackish water.
|
DISTRIBUTION:
It's common all over Australia.
FLOWERING:
It flowers from January to April.
INTERESTING FACTS:
Ducks and Dusky Moorhens live in there. They swim in between the
reeds and hide.
HISTORICAL USES:
With Phragmites australis the aboriginals use to cut the stem and use it
as a snorkle to catch ducks. They would go under the water in the pond
and sneak under a duck, grab the duck's legs, pull it under the water
until it stopped struggling, then swim back to shore, put it in a bag and
cook it for dinner.
Valda Dedman of the Geelong Field Naturalists Club told us :-
I was at the riverside and investigated some Phragmites australis. When
green, the stems are full of pith. When dry, they become hollow but are
joined at the nodes. If you could find a section long enough you could
make a straw and blow air through it. The kids could try this for
themselves.
Other Historical Uses
The straight stems of Phragmites australis were used as spear
shafts.
Reed necklaces were made by cutting the stems into short lengths
and threading them onto string.
The Phragmites australis leaves were used for bags and baskets.
The Tasmanians ate the soft white underground shoots.
Bibliography :
Native Plants Of The Sydney District
By Alan Fairley and Philip Moore
ISBN: 0 86417 261 3
Valda Dedman of the Geelong Field Naturalists Club
Research by Peter and Matthew 5F
Go to top of page
Elanora Heights Primary School Computer Co-ordinator : 
Judith Bennett
This page was last modified on 25th October, 1998
