General: Giant Reed (Arundo donax) is the tallest grass in the Mojave Desert, looking more like bamboo than a typical grass. The canes grow to almost 25-feet tall, and the leaves get to 3-feet long. Older stems develop branches, and the leaves have a collar.

Giant Reed is an uncommon component of wet vegetation associations (wetlands, along washes and rivers) in the Lower Sonoran (Creosote-Bursage Flats) and Upper Sonoran (Mojave Desert Scrub) life zones. Around Las Vegas, keep an eye out for this species around wet areas. Land managers are actively working to eradicate Giant Reed, so hopefully you won't see it anywhere. Giant Reed is the #2 "Priority Weed of Concern" in the Lower Las Vegas Wash, and it is on the Lake Mead NRA "Top 10 Invasive Species" list.

This is a noxious weed. If hikers and other visitors to the native habitats around Las Vegas see this species, please report the observation to the Nevada Department of Agriculture using their online forms. If you have this species on your private property, please consider eradicating it.

Family: Grass (Poaceae).

Other Names:

Plant Form: Tall, perennial grass forming dense stands.

Height: Over 20 feet.

Stems: Stem tall, erect, round, hollow.

Leaves: Alternate, 2-ranked, linear; blades to 3-feet long, 1/2 to 2 inches wide. Base of the leaves has a collar, which is a useful characteristic to separate this species from Common Reed. The ligule is thinly membranous and has a small fringe.

Flowers: Blooms July through November. Inflorescence panicle-like, to 2-feet long, plume-like, oblong.

Seeds: North American plants do not produce viable seeds.

Habitat: Pond edges, springs, stream edges, riverbanks, and other wet areas.

Elevation:

Distribution: Worldwide.

Comments: Giant Reed is noxious weed in the state of Nevada.