Along the banks of marshs, tall grasses grow known as the Giant reed or Phramites communis. It has flower clusters for heads and woody stems. The Giant reed or Common reed is a native, emergent aquatic grass found in temperate regions around the world, but more locally northeast Ohio. Giant reed provides benefit to the ecosystems that it inhabits. Fish and water birds find shelter and breeding sites in dense reed stands, and the interwoven networks of rhizomes and roots help to prevent erosion along lakeshores and Ohio river banks.
Photo of Giant Reed by Ingrid Westberg
