Shoreline grass
Common Reed (non-native Phragmites)
Phragmites australis subsp. australis · also called Phragmites
These illustrations are AI-generated, not photographs, and are not to scale. They show what to look for; they are not a substitute for an expert identification.
How to identify it
Size: Often 6 to 15 feet tall.
- Very tall, dense stands, often too thick to walk through.
- Long, flat, blue-green to gray-green leaves.
- A large, fluffy plume at the top, purplish-brown in late summer and tan by fall.
- Dull tan lower stems with the leaf sheaths still wrapped tightly around them.
The stem and sheath features are most reliable after midsummer. Earlier in the year the native reed can look similar. If you are not sure, report it rather than cutting it.
Don’t confuse it with
Michigan also has a native reed (Phragmites australis subsp. americanus), a valuable native plant that should be left alone. It grows in thinner stands, with lighter yellow-green leaves and smooth, shiny, reddish-brown lower stems whose leaf sheaths fall away.
This is a shoreline plant. You will find it along the water's edge and in wet ditches, not out in the lake.
Where it came from
This form of the reed is native to Europe and Asia.
Probably arrived on the Atlantic coast in the 1800s, possibly in ships' ballast, and has spread along roads, ditches and shorelines. Seeds and pieces of its underground stems start new stands.
Earliest dated Michigan record: 1979, along U.S. 2 in Delta County. This is the oldest dated record in the USGS non-native species database, not necessarily when it first arrived.
Why it matters
Dense stands crowd out native plants, block shoreline views and lake access, and reduce habitat for wildlife. Dry stands can also be a fire hazard.
Michigan law
Restricted under Part 413 of Michigan's Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act. It is illegal to possess, introduce, import, sell or offer to sell it as a live organism, except in the limited cases the law allows. The state uses “restricted” for species already established in Michigan. The state’s page on this species.
If you find it
- Don’t move it. Michigan law requires boaters to remove all aquatic plants from boats, equipment and trailers before launching. Before trailering, you must pull all drain plugs, drain live wells and bilges, and make sure the boat and trailer are free of aquatic plants and animals. What the law requires
- Never release bait. Releasing baitfish into Michigan waters is illegal. Put unused bait in the trash, never in the water.
- Report it. Take a photo, note where you saw it, and report it to the Midwest Invasive Species Information Network (MISIN) or through Michigan’s invasive species program. Experts there can confirm what you found.
- Ask before removing or treating. Treating a lake with herbicides or other chemicals needs a state permit, and some removal work does too. Start with the state’s Aquatic Nuisance Control program before taking action.
Michigan lakes where it has been recorded
26 Michigan lakes on this site have a record of this species.
Alcona
Berrien
Cass
Genesee
Ingham
Iron
Jackson
Lenawee
Livingston
Macomb
Manistee
Muskegon
Newaygo
Oakland
Schoolcraft
Van Buren
Wayne
A lake that is not listed may still have it. Records exist only where someone found the species and reported it, so “not recorded” does not mean “not present.”
Lake records: Midwest Glacial Lakes Partnership Conservation Planner; underlying records from the USGS Nonindigenous Aquatic Species database.
Sources
- Michigan Invasive Species Program: Phragmites (common reed)
- Michigan Sea Grant: The too-common reed
- University of Minnesota MAISRC: Phragmites identification
- Michigan Compiled Laws, section 324.41302 (prohibited and restricted species)
Earliest dated record: USGS Nonindigenous Aquatic Species database.