Phragmites australis, Norfolk Reed

Phragmites australis is a perennial plant which can grow up to 4m in very fast rate. This plant is very easy to grow and succeed in deep moisture retentive soils such as marshlands and swamps. It’s a hardy plant which can withstand low temperature and big precipitation. This field of phragmites is located in the swamp area of a small park immediately next to River Danube, around 20km north from Budapest, Hungary. The soil is very damp and at this time of the year completely covered by water. The phragmites dominates the area and covers large portions of it. Although it has not being planted on purpose there the plant acts as water purifier and also a buffer for the cold river flow up to an extent. It also acts as a habitat and hiding place for many birds, frogs and insects. Phragmites australis provide a large quantity of biomass which can be used in various ways for example as fertilizer or fuel or even alcohol production. The area where it grows has a reasonable maintenance and it can be seen that the plant is cleaned regularly. The plant has very long root system which can reach up to 10m in length and is very invasive. Once established it is almost impossible to be eradicated but it cannot grow in a small spaces, it requires large area. Fresh new leaves can be seen appearing from the water which soon will spread everywhere.