Reed

Reeds growing in the Danube Delta.

A German roofer building a reed roof

Reed is a generic polyphyletic botanical term used to describe numerous tall, grass-like plants of wet places, which are the namesake vegetation of reed beds. They are all members of the order Poales (in the modern, expanded cicrumscription), and include:

In the Poaceae (grass) family

• Common reed (Phragmites australis Cav.), the original species named reed
• Giant reed (Arundo donax L.), used for making reeds for musical instruments
• Burma reed (Neyraudia reynaudiana)
• Reed Canary-grass (Phalaris arundinacea)
• Reed sweet-grass (Glyceria maxima)
• Small-reed (Calamagrostis species)

In the Cyperaceae (sedge) family

• Paper reed or papyrus (Cyperus papyrus), the source of the Ancient Egyptian writing material, also used for making boats

In the Sparganiaceae family

• Bur-reed (Sparganium species)

In the Typhaceae family

• Reed-mace (Typha species), also called bulrush or cattail

In the Restionaceae family

• Cape Thatching Reed (Chrondopetalum tectorum), a restio originating from the South-western Cape, South Africa.
• Thatching Reed (Thamnochortus insignis), another restio species originating from the same geographic region.

Use in thatching

Phragmites australis, the common reed, is used in many areas for thatching roofs. In the United Kingdom, common reed used for this purpose is known as "Norfolk reed" or "water reed". However, "wheat reed" and "Devon reed", also used for thatching, are not in fact reed, but long-stemmed wheat straw.

See also

Wikisource has the text of the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica article Reed.

• Constructed wetland
• Reed bed
• Reed boat
• Reed fields
• Thatching