Exotic Phragmites in Utah

Phragmites, pronounced “frag-my-tees,” is a common reed-like plant in Utah’s wetlands and waterways. It is a tall perennial grass having a single hollow, stiff vertical stem, slender leaves, and distinctive bushy, feathery plumes of f lowers and seed heads. This robust grass is one of the most widely distributed wetland plants in the world. The phragmites genus includes 4 species and several genetic lineages or subspecies. Utah has one native subspecies and one invasive subspecies that was introduced from Eurasia. In the last few decades, the invasive Eurasian subspecies of phragmites (Phragmites australis subspecies australis) has become well established in Utah, irrevocably changing many of the state’s wetlands. Eurasian phragmites are taller, produce more seeds, and grow faster and more vigorously than all other subspecies, including Utah’s native subspecies Phragmites australis subspecies americanus. The invasive phragmites first reached North America around two hundred years ago and, since the 1900s, has become increasingly problematic as its range has extended across the continent. Once reaching Utah, it quickly spread along lakeshores, roads, and waterways, displacing the native phragmites along with other plants and animals. It also began consuming limited groundwater resources in vital wetlands.