Common reed

Tags: Rushes, sedges and grasses Description: Common reed is a tall grass that can grow 3–4 metres high with a large blackish-violet head. It grows in bogs, in water and along the sea shore, and in both nutrient-rich and nutrient-poor waters. Common reed forms very dense root systems that make it difficult for other plants to grow. At the same time it secretes chemical substances that damage the roots of other plants. The reed stands are important for some birds. Common reed belongs to the grass family, to which wheat, bamboo and the grass in our lawns also belong. Use: The name comes from the fact that the plant has been used as a material for roofs. In Norway such roofs have not been common, but it has been a common way of making roofs in Denmark, Germany and England. The rootstocks of common reed contain a fair amount of starch and sugar, and can therefore be a food resource in a year of crop failure. You can make flour from them. In the past the leaves were used to treat bronchitis and cholera. Habitat type: Coast, water and bog Edible: Yes Written by: Lærke Stewart

, via Wikimedia Commons](Takr%C3%B8r/Takr.jpg)

Common reed. Photo: Maurice Flesier, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

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