Somewhat resembling bamboo, carrizo grows in dense thickets in marshes,
along river banks, and in other wet locations. Largest of the grasses,
it sometimes attains a height of 12 feet. The large, tassel-like flower
heads appear from July to October and create a spectacular mass display.
The horizontal rootstalks interlock, crowding out other plants. A single
rootstalk may extend 30 feet. The straight, hollow stems served Indians
as arrowshafts, pipestems, and loom rods. Along the Mexican border the
leaves are woven into mats and the long, sturdy stems are used as
screens and in roofing native houses.
_Phragmites communis_ Grass Family
[Illustration: COMMON REED]