- Author: Patrick Moran
- Editor: Guy B Kyser
Arundo or giant reed (Arundo donax) is invasive in riparian areas in much of central and southern California, as well as other parts of the U.S. In the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, arundo grows on islands and along the edges of sloughs and canals. It is also common along the water's edge in the watersheds upstream of the Delta. This giant grass can grow to 20 ft tall or more and from a distance might be mistaken for corn. Arundo stems act like giant straws, wasting Delta water as the stems rapidly grow during the spring and summer. Dense mature patches of arundo block access to water, destabilize flood levees and constitute a fire hazard. For these reasons, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and various state and local agencies...
- Author: Travis M Bean
Invasive plants don't get much coverage in the news, especially at the state and national level. As I've argued previously, this lack of media attention is a problem when it comes to motivating the public and political players into proactively funding invasive plant management and mitigating impacts to human health, infrastructure, and natural resources. Admittedly, as a weed scientist, I'm biased on the issue.
However, sometimes there is a particular plant that is just so terrifying that it lends itself to coverage in a major news outlet, as was the case for this article about giant hogweed (Heracleum...
- Author: Patrick Moran
- Editor: Guy B Kyser
The giant invasive grass arundo (Arundo donax), one of the weeds targeted under the USDA-ARS-funded Delta Region Areawide Aquatic Weed Project (DRAAWP), has been re-acquainted with one of its natural enemies imported from arundo's native range. A tiny insect called the arundo armored scale (Rhizaspidiotus donacis) has been successfully released in the Sacramento River watershed and in the Delta.
Arundo forms dense stands across at least 10,000 acres in California, and over 100,000 acres in other arid riparian areas such as the Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas and Mexico. Other control methods such as herbicide application, mechanical removal, mowing or burning have been used to reduce arundo populations in...
- Author: Guy B Kyser
There is already a wall on our southern border, apparently, made of arundo (giant cane). This NY Times feature discusses US - Mexico cooperation in tackling the giant grass. Great pictures, too.
Arundo is also a big deal in California. Locally, it is one of the target species in the Delta Regional Areawide Aquatic Weed Project.