Reed

Reed

[Phragnites australis]

Family
Poaceae, the grass family

Height
1-3 meter.

Location and climate
Wet lands across the globe. River delta, coastal area and river.

Pollination
Wind

Usage
Mats, screens to create shelter from the wind on fields and in gardens, brooms, roofing material and as an inner layer on lime walls (plastered walls). Part of the reed plant can be made into flour and the reed plant is an excellent source of fibrous raw material for paper production.

Reed is also used for biomass fuel.

Reed is a great substitute for soy when feeding livestock and the plant might also help battle the future water level issues.

Beautiful architectural constructions can be found in the Southern Iraq where people have been building floating villages from nothing but reed and mud for thousands of years. Please read LoTek by Julia Watson. A fantastic inspiring book about the world's oldest design techniques and what we can learn from people who have mastered living with the land and passed on traditional ecological knowledge for generations.

Reed grows in the swamp where there is plenty of water. Due to the lack of oxygen around the roots the plant developed its hollow pipe construction transporting oxygen down to the roots. Clever plant.