![An Australian Government Initiative [logo]](/images/austgovt_brown_90px.gif)
4 Common Reed
Phragmites australis
Habitat: Edges of creeks and rivers, especially near coastSeason: Summer
Tasmanian people ate the shoots of the underground stems or rhizomes.
People from the lower Murray River collected mussels on inland lakes using large, rectangular rafts made from the long stems layered and bound.
Young men and women wore ornaments made from stem segments, threaded onto fibre or animal fur string.
Necklace made from stem segments of the Common Reed, (with Quandong seeds), (1992).
Women made baskets from the leaves and Murray River people made long, light spears from the tall stems.
Common Reed