DNR battles invasive reed in Winyah Bay/Santee Delta

Phragmites

Phragmites is a emersed perennial plant that can reach 15 feet in height and is long lived. It
can grow along the shorelines of water bodies or in water several feet deep. Leaves grow
alternately and are two-ranked, flat, long-attenuate up to 1 1/2 feet long and 1/2 inch wide.
They are blue-green in color with rough margins. The leafy stem is topped by a 1 foot long
silvery brown silky panicle of flowers (shown in inset). It is capable of reproduction by
seeds, but spreads primarily by underground stems called rhizomes. A Phragmites invasion
alters the structure and function of diverse marsh ecosystems by changing species composition,
nutrient cycles and hydrological regimes. Dense stands of Phragmites decrease native
biodiversity and quality of wetland habitat, particularly for migrating wading birds and waterfowl
species.

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