Phragmites australis grows to a striking 12 to 20 feet in the wet sites it colonizes, with blue-green leaves up to two feet long and tall plumes of gray to purple inflorescence that shimmer in late summer and autumn wind. In its native European context it has ecological value, but the exotic haplotype present in the eastern United States is another matter entirely — forming stands that can extend half a mile or more, spreading by rhizomes through both fresh and brackish water, including areas with up to three feet of standing water.

In North Carolina, it occurs across the coastal plain and has been listed as invasive by both the NC Invasive Plant Council and the USDA. The seedheads are undeniably beautiful in the low light of autumn, and its tolerance for salt spray and difficult conditions makes it competitive in the worst of ways. It is worth knowing to recognize and remove, not to plant.