A Book of Reed (Phragmites australis (Vav.) Trin. ex Steudel, Phtagmites communis Trin.). 2021. ills. (col.). 250 p. gr8vo.Pasper bd.

Common reed is a tall grass attaining a height of eight mertres and more, with a large inflorescence. It is the principal dominant species in European reedswamps and marshes, where the species may live for thousands of years. Phragmites grows in a variety of environemental conditions. It occurs from bog to marsh, tale edges, from damp ground to depths of up to four metres in brackish and freshwater, from sea level to mountain. It may be a tall and dominant, sparse and flaccid in wet woods, in bands along streams, as solitary shoots in fens, as short (10 cm) scratchy shoots in dry, salty trampled places, or as runners along the ground. Quite a variety!

The study of Phragmites has been patchy, and serious, long-term research on the plant is still needed. In this book, the life history of the plant, its pattern and growth, genetic and clonal variations, along with the plant's physical economic impact on its environment, are all discussed.