20 May 2005 Page 1 of 3 

Plant Conservation Alliance®s Alien Plant Working Group 

Xeeds HoneXild: Alien Plant Invaders of Natural Areas 

http://www.nps.gov/plants/alien/

FACT SHEET: GIANT REED

Giant Reed 

Arundo donax L. 

Grass family (Poaceae) 

NATIVE RANGE 

India 

DESCRIPTION 

Giant reed, also known as wild cane, is a tall, perennial grass that can grow to 

over 20 feet in height. Its fleshy, creeping rootstocks form compact masses 

from which tough, fibrous roots emerge that penetrate deeply into the soil. 

Leaves are elongate, 1-2 inches wide and a foot long. The flowers are borne in 

2-foot long, dense, plume-like panicles during August and September. 

ECOLOGICAL THREAT 

Giant reed chokes riversides and stream channels, crowds out native plants, 

interferes with flood control, increases fire potential, and reduces habitat for 

wildlife, including the Least Bell's vireo, a federally endangered bird. The long, 

fibrous, interconnecting root mats of giant reed form a framework for debris 

dams behind bridges, culverts, and other structures that lead to damage. It 

ignites easily and can create intense fires. 

Giant reed can float miles downstream where root and stem fragments may take root and initiate new infestations. Due to 

its rapid growth rate and vegetative reproduction, it is able to quickly invade new areas and form pure stands at the 

expense of other species. Once established, giant reed has the ability to outcompete and completely suppress native 

vegetation. 

DISTRIBUTION IN THE UNITED STATES 

Giant reed is distributed from Arkansas and Texas to California, where it is 

found throughout the state, and in the east, from Virginia to Kentucky and 

Missouri and generally southward. 

HABITAT IN THE UNITED STATES 

Giant reed becomes established in moist places such as ditches, streams, and 

riverbanks, growing best in well drained soils where abundant moisture is 

available. It tolerates a wide variety of conditions, including high salinity, and 

can flourish in many soil types from heavy clays to loose sands. 

BACKGROUND 

Giant reed was probably first introduced into the United States at Los Angeles, California in the early 1800's. Since then, it 

has become widely dispersed into all of the subtropical and warm temperate areas of the world, mostly through intentional 

human introductions. Today, giant reed is widely planted throughout the warmer areas of the United States as an 

ornamental and in the Southwest, where it is used along ditches for erosion control. 

Giant reed has a variety of uses ranging from music to medicine. Primitive pipe organs were made from it and the reeds 

for woodwind instruments are still made from its culms, for which no satisfactory substitutes are known. It is also used in 

basketry, for fishing rods, livestock fodder, medicine, and soil erosion control. 

BIOLOGY & SPREAD 

Reproduction of giant reed is primarily vegetative, through rhizomes which root and sprout readily. Little is known about 

the importance of sexual reproduction in giant reed, or about its seed viability, dormancy, and germination, and seedling 

establishment. Research on these topics may yield some additional improvements in the management of giant reed. 
20 May 2005 Page 2 of 3 

Plant Conservation Alliance®s Alien Plant Working Group 

Xeeds HoneXild: Alien Plant Invaders of Natural Areas 

http://www.nps.gov/plants/alien/

MANAGEMENT OPTIONS 

Areas infested with giant reed are best restored through chemical means. Mechanical 

control (e.g., repeated mowing) may be somewhat effective, but if small fragments of 

root are left in the soil, they may lead to reestablishment. 

Chemical 

Systemic herbicides, such as glyphosate (e.g., Rodeo®), may be applied clumps of 

giant reed, after flowering, either as a cut stump treatment or as a foliar spray. When 

applying herbicides in or around water or wetlands, be sure to use products labeled 

for that purpose to avoid harm to aquatic organisms. 

Fire 

Prescribed burning, either alone or combined with herbicide applications, may be 

effective if conducted after flowering. 

Once giant reed has been reduced sufficiently, native plants may be seeded or 

transplanted at the treated site. 

USE PESTICIDES WISELY: Always read the entire pesticide label carefully, follow all mixing and application instructions and wear all 

recommended personal protective gear and clothing. Contact your state department of agriculture for any additional pesticide use 

requirements, restrictions or recommendations. 

NOTICE: mention of pesticide products on this page does not constitute endorsement of any material.

CONTACTS 

For more information on the management of giant reed, please contact: 

• Team Arundo del Norte; http://www.ceres.ca.gov/tadn 

• Tom Dudley; tdudley at socrates.berkeley.edu 

SUGGESTED ALTERNATIVE PLANTS 

Native plant species that are adapted to local conditions should be used in restoration projects and as a substitute for 

giant reed in landscapes and erosion control practices. 

OTHER LINKS 

• http://www.invasive.org/search/action.cfm?q=Arundo%20donax 

• http://www.hear.org/starr/hiplants/images/thumbnails/html/arundo_donax.htm

AUTHORS 

Nancy Benton, The Nature Conservancy, Arlington, VA 

Gary Bell, The Nature Conservancy, Santa Fe, NM 

Jil M. Swearingen, National Park Service, Washington, DC 

PHOTOGRAPHS 

John M. Randall, The Nature Conservancy, Davis, CA 

Forest & Kim Starr, US Geological Survey, HI 

REFERENCES 

Hoshovsky, Marc. 1996. Element Stewardship Abstract: Arundo donax. The Nature Conservancy, Arlington, Virginia. 

Perdue, R.E. 1958. Arundo donax - source of musical reeds and industrial cellulose. Economic Botany 12(4):368-404. 

Swearingen, J. 2009. WeedUS Database of Plants Invading Natural Areas in the United States: Giant Reed (Arundo 

donax). http://www.invasive.org/weedus/subject.html?sub=3009. 
20 May 2005 Page 3 of 3 

Plant Conservation Alliance®s Alien Plant Working Group 

Xeeds HoneXild: Alien Plant Invaders of Natural Areas 

http://www.nps.gov/plants/alien/

The Nature Conservancy. Giant Reed: Element Stewardship Abstract. In: Wildland Weeds Management & Research 

Program, Weeds on the Web. 

Tidwell, B. 1995. Native Habitat Restoration: Controlling Arundo donax. Monsanto Company. 

USDA, NRCS. 2009. The PLANTS Database (http://plants.usda.gov). National Plant Data Center, Baton Rouge, LA 

70874-4490 USA.