06/04/2026
A Focus on Phragmites
Itโs been a few weeks since we last talked Phragmites.
What you may not know is that not *all* phragmites are a problem
๐ฃ๐ต๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ด๐บ๐ถ๐๐ฒ๐ ๐ฎ๐๐๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐น๐ถ๐ ๐ฎ๐บ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ป๐๐
This is a subspecies that has existed in Utah for centuries growing at lower densities in areas with minimal human disturbance
๐ฃ๐ต๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ด๐บ๐ถ๐๐ฒ๐ ๐ฎ๐๐๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐น๐ถ๐ ๐ฎ๐๐๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐น๐ถ๐
This subspecies is a non-native invasive introduced from Eurasia. It grows aggressively and is now predominant across Utahโs Great Salt Lake and Utah wetlands, roadsides, and other disturbed areas across the sate.
๐ช๐ต๐ ๐ถ๐ ๐ฃ๐ต๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ด๐บ๐ถ๐๐ฒ๐ ๐ฎ๐๐๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐น๐ถ๐ ๐ฎ๐๐๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐น๐ถ๐ ๐๐ผ ๐ต๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฑ ๐๐ผ ๐๐๐ผ๐ฝ?
Phragmites reproduces two way at once. First, asexually, it expands through below ground and above ground stems that generate new shoots at patch edges.
Sexually, a single flowering head produces thousands of seeds each fall. These are dispersed by wind and water and they germinate readily wherever moist soil is disturbed and exposed (aka a lot of land around the Great Salt Lake).
In winter it goes dormant but leaves behind massive amounts of dead biomass that breaks down slowly, creating an impenetrable thicket of both living and dead material.
The result is tall, dense stands that shade out native plants, impede water flow, eliminate nesting and foraging habitat for shorebirds and waterfowl, create fire hazard, and consume water in a region that cannot afford to lose it.
Today these non-native subspecies threatens 180,000 acres across the Great Salt Lake project area alone. Can you believe the first record of Phragmites australis australis in Utah was only in 1993?
