SimplePlant

Poaceae

Giant reed

Arundo donax L.

Family
Poaceae
Genus
Arundo

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Giant reed (Arundo donax)
FlowerPhoto: Gianni Del Bufalo bygdb, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist

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Common names

By language (46)
aeb
قصب
Albanian
Kallmi, Kallami
Arabic
غاب عملاق
arz
غاب عملاق
azb
قامیشواری قارغی
Azerbaijani
Qamışvari qarğı
Bangla
নাল
Basque
Kanabera
Burmese
အလိုကျူပင်
Cantonese
蘆竹
Catalan
Canya de sant Joan, Canya, Canya americana, Canya de St. Joan, Canya del país, Canyar
Chinese
芦竹, 芦荻, 蘆竹, 蘆荻, 芦竹根, 芦竹沥, 芦竹笋, 变叶芦竹
Czech
Trsť rákosovitá
Dutch
Pijlriet
English
Giant reed, Arundo, Carrizo cane, Colorado river weed, Elephant reed, Spanish cane, Trsť rákosovitá, Wild cane
Finnish
Jättiruoko, Aasianjättiruoko
French
Canne De Provence, Cannevelle, Grand roseau, Jonc ordinaire, Quenouille, Roseau canne, Roseau de Fréjus, Roseau des jardins
Galician
Cana
German
Pfahlrohr, Canne de Provence, Riesenschilf, Trsť rákosovitá
grc
Δόναξ
Hindi
नरकट
hsb
Hoberska sćina
Hungarian
Olasznád
Igbo
Arundo, Carrizo, Colorado river weed, Elephant reed, Giant reed, Spanish cane, Wild cane
Italian
Canna palustre
Japanese
ダンチク, アセ
Korean
물대
lah
کانا
Lithuanian
Canne de Provence
Macedonian
Италијанска трска
Malayalam
ഈറ
Marathi
देवनाळ
Nepali
नर्कट
Norwegian Bokmål
Kjemperør
Persian
قمیش
Polish
Lasecznica trzcinowata, Trzcina laskowa, Trzcina włoska
Portuguese
Cana-do-reino
Russian
Арундо тростниковый
sc
Canna
Slovenian
Navadna kanela, Navadni trstikovec
Spanish
Bardiza, Cana comun, Cana común, Canabrava, Carrizo grande, Caña comun, Caña común, Cañabrava
Swedish
Canne de Provence
Tamil
எருவை
Telugu
కాకివెదురు
Thai
อ้อ
Turkish
Kargı, Kargı kamışı

Synonyms

  • Aira bengalensis (Retz.) J.F.Gmel.
  • Amphidonax bengalensis (Retz.) Steud.
  • Amphidonax bengalensis Nees
  • Amphidonax bifaria Nees ex Steud.
  • Arundo aegyptia Delile
  • Arundo aegyptiaca E.Vilm.
  • Arundo bambusifolia Hook.f.
  • Arundo bengalensis Retz.
  • Arundo bifaria Retz.
  • Arundo coleotricha (Hack.) Honda
  • Arundo coleotricha var. barbigera Honda
  • Arundo coleotricha var. versicolor (Mill.) Stokes
  • Arundo donax f. donax
  • Arundo donax f. versicolor (Mill.) Beetle
  • Arundo donax var. angustifolia Döll
  • Arundo donax var. barbigera (Honda) Ohwi
  • Arundo donax var. coleotricha Hack.
  • Arundo donax var. donax
  • Arundo donax var. lanceolata Döll
  • Arundo donax var. procerior Kunth
  • Arundo donax var. variegata E.Vilm.
  • Arundo donax var. variegata Poit. & A.Vilm.
  • Arundo donax var. versicolor (Mill.) Stokes
  • Arundo glauca Bubani
  • Arundo latifolia Salisb.
  • Arundo longifolia Salisb.
  • Arundo longifolia Salisb. ex Hook.f.
  • Arundo sativa Lam.
  • Arundo scriptoria L.
  • Arundo triflora Roxb.
  • Arundo versicolor Mill.
  • Cynodon donax (L.) Raspail
  • Donax arundinaceus P.Beauv.
  • Donax bengalensis (Retz.) P.Beauv.
  • Donax bifarius (Retz.) Trin. ex Spreng.
  • Donax donax (L.) Asch. & Graebn.
  • Donax sativa (Lam.) J.Presl
  • Donax sativus C.Presl
  • Donax versicolor P.Beauv.
  • Scolochloa arundinacea (P.Beauv.) Mert. & W.D.J.Koch

and 1 more.

Flowers

In flower
April to May, September to December (from 311 flowering iNaturalist observations worldwide)

Characteristics

Growth habit
Graminoid, Shrub, Subshrub
Lifespan
Perennial
In the US and Canada
Hawaii: introduced, Lower 48 states: introduced, Pacific Basin: introduced, Pacific Basin: native, Puerto Rico: introduced, U.S. Virgin Islands: introduced

Photos

More in Arundo

Sources: classification, synonyms from World Flora Online Plant List (2026-06, CC0 1.0); common names, popularity from Wikidata (2026-10-26, CC0 1.0); common names, US characteristics from USDA PLANTS Database (2025-05-29, CC0 1.0). About our plant data.