Arundo donax L., Poaceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Threat only at high elevations?  no

Risk assessment results: 

Evaluate, score: 4 (Go to the risk assessment (Australia))
High risk, score: 12 (Go to the risk assessment (Pacific))

Common name(s): [more details]

English: bamboo reed, giant reed, Spanish reed, wild cane

Fijian: ngasau ni vavalangi

French: canne de Provence, grand roseau

Samoan: fiso palagi

Spanish: caña común, caña de Castilla, caña de la reina, caña de techar, carrizo

Tongan: kaho, kaho folalahi

Habit:  grass

Description:  "Large perennials; culms erect or arching, up to 8 m tall, unbranched or branched above, arising from thick, scaly rhizomes, nodes glabrous, usually concealed, internodes hollow, up to 4 cm in diameter.  Leaves strongly distichous, distributed rather uniformly along culm except on old stems; sheaths longer than internodes and strongly overlapping, glaucous, glabrous to sometimes sparsely long-villous at throat; ligule a thin, whitish or brownish, minutely ciliate membrane, 1-1.5 mm long; blades thick and coriaceous, 45-60 cm long, 4-6 cm wide, glabrous, glaucous, striate, margins scabrous, leaf bases broader than sheaths, with prominent, triangular, brownish flanges, ciliate along margins.  Inflorescences paniculate, ovoid, 40-70 cm long, plumose, dense, the branches stiffly ascending; spikelets densely clustered along secondary or tertiary branches, 13-17 mm long, 4-5 flowered, rachilla glabrous; glumes hyaline, brownish or purplish, 11-13 mm long, narrow, acuminate, scabrous on the indistinct keel; lemmas membranous, lanceolate-ovate, 8-15 mm long, tapering to a short straight awn arising between 2 delicate lateral teeth, 3-7-nerved, usually 3 major ones anastomosing with midnerve, lower portions on dorsal surface of lemma heavily bearded with long silky whitish hairs, the hairs 8-10 mm long; palea whitish, membranous, 5-10 mm long, ca 1/2 as long as lemma, scabrid on keels and pubescent near base between them, hyaline, truncate.  Caryopsis elongate, 1-1.5 mm long" (Wagner et al., 1999; pp. 1498-1499).

Description from World Grass Species.

Habitat/ecology:  In moist areas, such as along ditches and riverbanks.  "Once established, giant reed can form huge clones, sometimes covering hundreds of acres.  It is highly flammable and resprouts quickly after burning.  Fires help transform communities of native plants into solid stands of giant reed, changing riverbank forests from flood- to fire-defined habitats" (Randall, et al., 1996). In Hawai‘i, "naturalized in coastal areas, often in thickets" (Wagner et al., 1999; pp. 1498-1499).  In Fiji, widespread on hillsides, in open forest, and along roadsides, up to about 200 m (Smith, 1979; pp. 299-300). In New Caledonia, "parfois planté, notamment pour stabiliser les talus des routes. Largement répandu à l'état spontané" (MacKee, 1994; p. 56).

Propagation:  Rhizomes; fragments of stems, often carried by water.

Native range:  Tropical Asia and the Mediterranean region, now widely naturalized in warm temperate to tropical areas.

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Australia (Pacific offshore islands) Norfolk Islands	Norfolk Island	introduced invasive	Orchard, Anthony E., ed. (1994) (p. 11) Vouchers cited: W.R. Sykes NI 621 (CHR), 1962, P. Ralston s.n.(CHR)
Cook Islands Southern Cook Islands	Rarotonga Island	cultivated	McCormack, Gerald (2007)
Cook Islands Southern Cook Islands	Rarotonga Island	introduced cultivated	Space, James C./Flynn, Tim (2002) (p. 64)
Cook Islands Southern Cook Islands	Rarotonga Island		Bishop Museum (Honolulu) (1929) (voucher ID: BISH 122231) Taxon name on voucher: Arundo donax L.
Federated States of Micronesia Pohnpei Islands	Pohnpei Island	introduced	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1987) (p. 31)
Federated States of Micronesia Pohnpei Islands	Pohnpei Island		Bishop Museum (Honolulu) (1949) (voucher ID: BISH 122237) Taxon name on voucher: Arundo donax L.
Fiji Fiji Islands	Viti Levu Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Smith, Albert C. (1979) (pp. 299-300) Vouchers cited: DA 10826, Degener 15170, DA 16809, DA 7955, DA 7589, Wilder 1232
Fiji Fiji Islands	Viti Levu Island		Bishop Museum (Honolulu) (1969) (voucher ID: BISH 31631) Taxon name on voucher: Arundo donax L.
Fiji Fiji Islands	Viti Levu Island		Bishop Museum (Honolulu) (1969) (voucher ID: BISH 31632) Taxon name on voucher: Arundo donax L.
Fiji Fiji Islands	Viti Levu Island		Bishop Museum (Honolulu) (1960) (voucher ID: BISH 31633) Taxon name on voucher: Arundo donax L.
Fiji Fiji Islands	Viti Levu Island		Bishop Museum (Honolulu) (1941) (voucher ID: BISH 122234) Taxon name on voucher: Arundo donax L.
Fiji Fiji Islands	Viti Levu Island		Bishop Museum (Honolulu) (1932) (voucher ID: BISH 122235) Taxon name on voucher: Arundo donax L.
French Polynesia Society Islands	Huahine Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Welsh, S. L. (1998) (p. 329) Voucher cited: Grant 55266
French Polynesia Society Islands	Moorea Island	introduced	Fosberg, F. R. (1997) (p. 97)
French Polynesia Society Islands	Raiatea (Havai) Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Welsh, S. L. (1998) (p. 329) Voucher cited: Moore 197
French Polynesia Society Islands	Raiatea (Havai) Island		Bishop Museum (Honolulu) (1926) (voucher ID: BISH 13723) Taxon name on voucher: Arundo donax L.
French Polynesia Society Islands	Taha‘a Island	introduced	Fosberg, F. R. (1997) (p. 97)
French Polynesia Society Islands	Tahiti Island	introduced	Fosberg, F. R. (1997) (p. 97)
Guam Guam Island	Guam Island	introduced	Stone, Benjamin C. (1970) (p. 188) Rare.
Guam Guam Island	Guam Island	introduced	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1987) (p. 31)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Hawai‘i (Big) Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (pp. 1498-1499)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Kaua‘i Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (pp. 1498-1499)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Maui Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (pp. 1498-1499)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	O‘ahu Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (pp. 1498-1499)
Japan (offshore islands) Bonin (Ogasawara) Islands	Bonin (Ogasawara) Islands	introduced	Kato, Hidetoshi (2007)
Nauru Nauru Island	Nauru Island	introduced	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1987) (p. 31)
Nauru Nauru Island	Nauru Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Thaman, R. R./Fosberg, F. R./Manner, H. I./Hassall, D. C. (1994) (pp. 66-67) Vouchers cited: Fosberg 58742 (US), Scully 171N (US?), Thaman & Manner 22318 (SUVA), Thaman & Manner 95 (SUVA) Spontaneous in some areas.
New Caledonia New Caledonia	New Caledonia Islands	introduced invasive	Meyer, Jean-Yves (2000) (p. 99)
New Caledonia New Caledonia Archipelago	Île Belep	introduced invasive cultivated	Gargominy, Oliver/Bouchet, Philipe/Pascal, Michel/Jaffre, Tanguy/Tourneu, Jean-Christophe (1996) (p. 380) Largement répanue.
New Caledonia New Caledonia Archipelago	Île Belep	introduced invasive cultivated	MacKee, H. S. (1994) (p. 56)
New Caledonia New Caledonia Archipelago	Île Grande Terre	introduced invasive cultivated	Gargominy, Oliver/Bouchet, Philipe/Pascal, Michel/Jaffre, Tanguy/Tourneu, Jean-Christophe (1996) (p. 380) Largement répandue.
New Caledonia New Caledonia Archipelago	Île Grande Terre	introduced invasive cultivated	MacKee, H. S. (1994) (p. 56) Voucher cited: Cribs 853 Spontané
New Caledonia New Caledonia Archipelago	Île des Pins (Isle of Pines)	introduced invasive cultivated	Gargominy, Oliver/Bouchet, Philipe/Pascal, Michel/Jaffre, Tanguy/Tourneu, Jean-Christophe (1996) (p. 380) Largement répanue.
New Caledonia New Caledonia Archipelago	Île des Pins (Isle of Pines)	introduced invasive cultivated	MacKee, H. S. (1994) (p. 56)
Palau Palau (main island group)	Babeldaob Island	introduced invasive	Space, James C./Waterhouse, Barbara/Miles, Joel E./Tiobech, Joseph/Rengulbai, Kashgar (2003) (pp. 8, 84) Specimen collected: BMW 6541 (BISH, BRI, GUAM)
Palau Palau (main island group)	Koror Island	introduced	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1987) (p. 31)
Palau Palau (main island group)	Koror Island	introduced invasive	Space, James C./Waterhouse, Barbara/Miles, Joel E./Tiobech, Joseph/Rengulbai, Kashgar (2003) (pp. 8, 79)
Palau Palau (main island group)	Koror Island		Bishop Museum (Honolulu) (1977) (voucher ID: BISH 425868) Taxon name on voucher: Arundo donax L.
Palau Palau (main island group)	Koror Island		Bishop Museum (Honolulu) (1978) (voucher ID: BISH 428449) Taxon name on voucher: Arundo donax L.
Palau Palau (main island group)	Koror Island		Bishop Museum (Honolulu) (1978) (voucher ID: BISH 699709) Taxon name on voucher: Arundo donax L.
Samoa Western Samoa Islands	Upolu Island	introduced invasive	Space, James C./Flynn, Tim (2002) (p. 65)
Samoa Western Samoa Islands	Upolu Island		Bishop Museum (Honolulu) (1968) (voucher ID: BISH 28621) Taxon name on voucher: Arundo donax L.
Samoa Western Samoa Islands	Upolu Island		Bishop Museum (Honolulu) (1973) (voucher ID: BISH 417684) Taxon name on voucher: Arundo donax L.
Tonga Ha‘apai Group	Lifuka Island		Yuncker, T. G. (1959) (p. 53) Voucher cited: Yuncker 15767
Tonga Ha‘apai Group	Lifuka Island		Bishop Museum (Honolulu) (1953) (voucher ID: BISH 122232) Taxon name on voucher: Arundo donax L.
Tonga Tongatapu Group	Tongatapu Island	introduced invasive	Space, James C./Flynn, Tim (2001) (p. 50)

Pacific Rim
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Australia Australia (continental)	Australia (continental)	introduced invasive	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2007)
Australia Australia (continental)	Australia (continental)		Hafliger, Ernst/Scholz, Hildemar (1980) (p. 22)
Chile (continental) Chile	Chile (Republic of)		Hafliger, Ernst/Scholz, Hildemar (1980) (p. 22)
China China	China (People's Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2007)
Indonesia Indonesia	Indonesia (Republic of)		Hafliger, Ernst/Scholz, Hildemar (1980) (p. 22)
Japan Japan	Japan (country)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2007)
Mexico Mexico	Mexico (United Mexican States)		Hafliger, Ernst/Scholz, Hildemar (1980) (p. 22)
New Zealand New Zealand	New Zealand (country)	introduced invasive	Owen, S. J. (1997)
New Zealand New Zealand	New Zealand (country)	introduced invasive cultivated	Edgar, E./Connor, H. (2000) (p. 419) "Occasional garden escape. Roadsides and sandy waste land".
Taiwan Taiwan	Taiwan Island	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2007)

Indian Ocean
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Australia (Indian Ocean offshore islands) Christmas Island Group	Christmas Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Swarbrick, J. T. (1997) (p. 105) Naturalized

Also reported from
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
United States (continental except west coast) United States (other states)	United States (other states)	introduced invasive	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2007)

Comments:  An ornamental variety, A. donax var. versicolor (Mill.) Stokes is widely cultivated. It has white-striped leaves.

Reported to be under cultivation in Fiji.

An invasive species in riparian areas in California (US).

Control:  The Nature Conservancy's  Stewardship Abstract  gives control information.

Chemical: "Herbicides must be used to ensure that the root mass is killed because even tiny fragments of rhizome can grow into new colonies.  Both glyphosate and fluazipop herbicides have proven effective, especially when applied after flowering.  Because this species tends to spread downstream, it's important to remove infestations from the upper reaches of a watershed first".  (Bell, 1996)

Additional information:  Report (PDF format) from US Geological Survey, Biological Resources Division, Haleakala Field Station, Hawaii "Plants of Hawaii".
Arundo donax factsheet (from PCA-APWG).
Giant reed (Arundo donax) factsheet (from Virginia Department of Conservation & Recreation's invasive plant species list).
The Nature Conservancy photos and Stewardship Abstract (PDF format).
Photos and additional information at University of Florida, Center for Aquatic and Invasive Plants.
Photo and additional information at the Environment Bay of Plenty, New Zealand, web site of the Bay of Plenty Regional Council.
Information from the Purdue University NewCROP web site.
Team Arundo del Norte web site.

Additional online information about Arundo donax is available from the Hawaiian Ecosystems at Risk project (HEAR).

Taxonomic information about Arundo donax may be available from the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN).

References:

Bishop Museum (Honolulu). 1926. Voucher specimen #BISH 13723 (J.W.Moore 197).

Bishop Museum (Honolulu). 1929. Voucher specimen #BISH 122231 (Wilder, G.P. 1045).

Bishop Museum (Honolulu). 1932. Voucher specimen #BISH 122235 (Wilder, G.P. 1232).

Bishop Museum (Honolulu). 1941. Voucher specimen #BISH 122234 (Degener, O. 15170).

Bishop Museum (Honolulu). 1949. Voucher specimen #BISH 122237 (Glassman, S.F. 2521).

Bishop Museum (Honolulu). 1953. Voucher specimen #BISH 122232 (Yuncker, T.G. 15767).

Bishop Museum (Honolulu). 1960. Voucher specimen #BISH 31633 (Pillay, S. 12165).

Bishop Museum (Honolulu). 1968. Voucher specimen #BISH 28621 (Bristol, M.L. 2090).

Bishop Museum (Honolulu). 1969. Voucher specimen #BISH 31631 (Smith, A.C. 16809).

Bishop Museum (Honolulu). 1969. Voucher specimen #BISH 31632 (Smith, A.C. 16809).

Bishop Museum (Honolulu). 1973. Voucher specimen #BISH 417684 (Whistler, W.A. W 615).

Bishop Museum (Honolulu). 1977. Voucher specimen #BISH 425868 (Otobed, D.O. PW-10089).

Bishop Museum (Honolulu). 1978. Voucher specimen #BISH 428449 (Otobed, D.O.; collector's voucher number unknown).

Bishop Museum (Honolulu). 1978. Voucher specimen #BISH 699709 (Otobed, D.O.; collector's voucher number unknown).

Edgar, E./Connor, H. 2000. Flora of New Zealand, vol. V: Gramineae. Manaaki Whenua Press. .

Fosberg, F. R. 1997. Preliminary checklist of the flowering plants and ferns of the Society Islands. Ed. by David R. Stoddart. U. Cal. Berkeley.

Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce. 1987. A geographical checklist of the Micronesian monocotyledonae. Micronesica 20:1-126.

Gargominy, Oliver/Bouchet, Philipe/Pascal, Michel/Jaffre, Tanguy/Tourneu, Jean-Christophe. 1996. Conséquences des introductions d'espèces animales et végétales sur la biodiversité en Nouvelle-Calédonie. Rev. Ecol. (Terre Vie) 51:375-401.

Hafliger, Ernst/Scholz, Hildemar. 1980. Grass weeds, vol. 2. CIBA-GEIGY Ltd., Basle, Switzerland. 137 pp. + plates.

Kato, Hidetoshi. 2007. Herbarium records of Makino Herbarium, Tokyo Metropolitan University. Personal communication.

MacKee, H. S. 1994. Catalogue des plantes introduites et cultivées en Nouvelle-Calédonie. Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris, 164 p.

McCormack, Gerald. 2007. Cook Islands biodiversity and natural heritage. On-line database.

Meyer, Jean-Yves. 2000. Preliminary review of the invasive plants in the Pacific islands (SPREP Member Countries). In: Sherley, G. (tech. ed.). Invasive species in the Pacific: A technical review and draft regional strategy. South Pacific Regional Environment Programme, Samoa. 190 pp.

Orchard, Anthony E., ed. 1994. Flora of Australia. Vol. 49, Oceanic islands 1. Australian Government Publishing Service, Canberra.

Owen, S. J. 1997. Ecological weeds on conservation land in New Zealand: A database. Working draft. Wellington, New Zealand. Department of Conservation.

Randall, J. M./Marinelli, J. (eds.). 1996. Invasive plants: weeds of the global garden. Brooklyn Botanic Garden Handbook 149. 111 pp.

Smith, Albert C. 1979. Flora Vitiensis nova: a new flora of Fiji. National Tropical Botanical Garden, Lawai, Kauai, Hawaii. Volume 1. 494 pp.

Space, James C./Flynn, Tim. 2001. Report to the Kingdom of Tonga on invasive plant species of environmental concern.  USDA Forest Service, Honolulu. 78 pp.

Space, James C./Flynn, Tim. 2002. Report to the Government of the Cook Islands on invasive plant species of environmental concern. USDA Forest Service, Honolulu. 146 pp.

Space, James C./Flynn, Tim. 2002. Report to the Government of Samoa on invasive plant species of environmental concern. USDA Forest Service, Honolulu. 83 pp.

Space, James C./Waterhouse, Barbara/Miles, Joel E./Tiobech, Joseph/Rengulbai, Kashgar. 2003. Report to the Republic of Palau on invasive plant species of environmental concern. USDA Forest Service, Honolulu. 174 pp.

Stone, Benjamin C. 1970. The flora of Guam. Micronesica 6:1-659.

Swarbrick, J. T. 1997. Environmental weeds and exotic plants on Christmas Island, Indian Ocean: a report to Parks Australia. 101 pp. plus appendix.

Thaman, R. R./Fosberg, F. R./Manner, H. I./Hassall, D. C. 1994. The flora of Nauru. Smithsonian Institution, Washington. Atoll Research Bulletin 392:1-223.

U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. 2007. National Genetic Resources Program. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Online searchable database.

Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. 1999. Manual of the flowering plants of Hawaii. Revised edition. Bernice P. Bishop Museum special publication. University of Hawai‘i Press/Bishop Museum Press, Honolulu. 1919 pp. (two volumes).

Welsh, S. L. 1998. Flora Societensis: A summary revision of the flowering plants of the Society Islands. E.P.S. Inc., Orem, Utah. 420 pp.

Whistler, W. A. 1992. Flora of Tonga [unpublished checklist]. 107 pp.

Yuncker, T. G. 1959. Plants of Tonga. Bishop Museum Bull. 220. Bishop Museum Press, Honolulu. 343 pp.