Reed is a common name for several tall, graminoid of .
Varieties
They are all members of the order
Poales (in the modern, expanded circumscription), and include:
In the grass family, Poaceae
-
Common reed ( Phragmites australis), the original species named reed
-
Giant reed ( Arundo donax), used for making reeds for musical instruments
-
Burma reed ( Neyraudia reynaudiana)
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Reed canary-grass ( Phalaris arundinacea)
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Reed sweet-grass ( Glyceria maxima)
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Small-reed ( Calamagrostis species)
In the sedge family, Cyperaceae
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Paper reed or papyrus ( Cyperus papyrus), the source of the Ancient Egyptian writing material, also used for making reed boat
In the family [[Typhaceae/" itemprop="url" title="Wiki: ">
<hr class="us2411627114">
<span class="us3003804241 us1353177739">In the family [[Typhaceae">">
In the family [[Typhaceae
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Bur-reed ( Sparganium species)
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Reed-mace ( Typha species), also called bulrush or cattail
In the family [[Restionaceae/" itemprop="url" title="Wiki: ">
<hr class="us2411627114">
<span class="us3003804241 us1353177739">In the family [[Restionaceae">">
In the family [[Restionaceae
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Cape thatching reed ( Elegia tectorum), a restio originating from the South-western Cape, South Africa.
-
Thatching reed ( Thamnochortus insignis), another restio species originating from the same geographic region.
Use in construction
Many different cultures have used reeds in construction of buildings of various types for at least thousands of years. One contemporary example is the
Marsh Arabs.
Thatching
Phragmites australis, the
common reed, is used in many areas for
thatching roofs. In the
United Kingdom, common reed used for this purpose is known as "Norfolk reed" or "water reed". However, "wheat reed" and "Devon reed" are not reeds but long-stemmed
wheat straw.
Use in music
Ancient Greece used
Arundo donax to make
flutes known as kalamaulos; this is a compound word, from kalamos (cane) + aulos (flute). At the time, the best cane for flutes came from the banks of river Kephissos, in Attica, Greece. Several kalamaulos tuned differently and tied together, made a syrinx or
Panpipes.
A. donax is still the principal source material of reed makers for
,
,
,
,
, and other
woodwind instruments.
The Var country in southern France contains the best-known supply of instrument reeds.
Other uses
Bamboo and, even more commonly,
rattan stems are used as "reed sticks" to wick and disperse the scent of
in aroma diffusers. (See .)
Certain reed species were used in the manufacture of the writing implement, , by Scribe. The use is still in practice today within the field of Art, specifically Calligraphy. (see .)
See also
External links
