Grasses with plume-like and feathery flower spikes

Giant Reed Ravennagrass Ravennagrass Cogon Grass



Grasses - Poaceae

Common Reed      Phragmites australis

Native throughout much of the world as a dominant grass of wetland habitats, often forming extensive, single-species stands.

Common Reed Common Reed Common Reed Common Reed
Habit
Habit
Early spike
Early spike
Common Reed Common Reed Common Reed Common Reed
Flowering spikelets
Seeding spike
Leaves
Leaf ligules


Giant Reed      Arundo donax

Native in the Middle East, eastward to South-east Asia. Widely planted elsewhere as a screen and shelter belt and often spreading along watercourses and field edges as an invasive alien, forming thickets of canes to 6m in height.

Giant Reed Giant Reed Giant Reed Giant Reed
Habit
Habit
Flower spike
Flower spike
Giant Reed Giant Reed Giant Reed Giant Reed
Flower spikelets
Flowering spikelets
Leaves and stem
Emerging shoot


Ravennagrass      Tripidium ravennae

Native in the Mediterranean Region, eastwards through the Middle East to Central Asia and the Himalayan Region. Naturally occurs along seasonally wet watercourses, but also sometimes introduced as a garden ornamental.

Ravennagrass Ravennagrass Ravennagrass Ravennagrass
Habit
Habit
Leaves
Late flower spikes
Ravennagrass Ravennagrass
Late spikelets
Late spikelets


European Marram      Calamagrostis arenaria

(Ammophila arenaria) Native on coastal sand systems throughout Europe, the Mediterranean Regio and the Canary Islands. Robust plants, growing to 150cm in height, spreading extensively via underground rhizomes and eventually forming large clumps. Plants greyish-green. Leaf blades up to 6mm wide, strongly inrolled, ridged on the upper side, the ridges covered in minute hairs. Leaf sheaths smooth and overlapping. Ligules prominent, 10-30mm in length and tapering to a point. Flower spike upright or slightly arched, cylindrical, 7-22cm in length. Spikelets 10-16mm, closely overlapping and each with a single floret. Lemmas 8-12mm, pointed at the tip, keeled, awnless. A very important coastal grass, being a coloniser of sandy places near the sea, where its presence traps wind-blown sand and begins the process of sand dune formation.

European Marram European Marram European Marram European Marram
Habit
Habit
Spikelets
Flowering spikelets
European Marram European Marram European Marram European Marram
Flowering spikelets
Leaf upperside
Leaf upperside (Magnified)
Leaf ligules


Cogon Grass      Imperata cylindrica

Native in the Mediterranean Region, eastwards to Afghanistan and south throughout sub-Saharan Africa. Widely introduced in warm temperate and tropical parts of the world. Naturally occurs in damp habitats but readily becomes dominant in disturbed ground and is considered a highly invasive weed in many parts of the world.

Cogon Grass Cogon Grass Cogon Grass
Habit
Flower spike
Flowering spikelets
Cogon Grass Cogon Grass Cogon Grass Cogon Grass
Late spike
Late spike
Late spike
Leaf base and stem