ARUNDO DONAX: DESCRIPTION, HABITAT AND DISTRIBUTION, USES - BIOLOGY - 2025

Arundo donax is the scientific name of the giant cane, caña brava or cañizo, a perennial and rhizomatous herbaceous species (family Poaceae, subfamily Arundinoideae). It is a grass similar in appearance to bamboo, which inhabits grasslands and wetlands in a wide variety of climatic zones. There are doubts regarding its biogeographic origin, considering that it can be diverse, between Asia, North Africa and the Arabian Peninsula.

Recent molecular studies have suggested that the plants belonging to the genus Arundo are of monophyletic origin, that is, they evolved from a common ancestral population, which possibly arose in Asia and later spread throughout the Mediterranean. According to this theory, the populations of the Mediterranean areas would be more recent than the Asian ones.

Figure 1. Arundo donax cluster, or cañaveral. Source: Donkey shot, from Wikimedia Commons

A. donax is considered a dangerous invasive species, which spreads very easily in a wide variety of environments, adapting easily to very diverse conditions. Its rapid spread occurs due to the extension of the rhizome, its dispersion during floods, as well as the dispersal of its stems.

Its reed beds prevail over the native vegetation where it sprouts, irreversibly affecting the balance of ecosystems. For this reason, there is legislation in some countries that considers it a threat to native biodiversity and regulates its cultivation and even prohibits its introduction.

Description

A. donax has a similar appearance to bamboo, however it has the peculiarity that its individual leaves emerge from each node of the stem, which they surround. Its stems are between 3 and 6 m high, and at maturity (one year old) up to 8 - 9 m.

Figure 2. Detail of stem and leaf of Arundo donax. Source: author Bouba at wikipedia.org

The stems are segmented (every 25 cm approximately), thick in adulthood (2 cm in diameter on average) and hollow. Its underground part is made up of perennial rhizomes, which extend along bodies of water and at a depth of 10 to 50 cm in the ground.

Its 5 to 7 cm lanceolate leaves emerge at the nodes and wrap around the stem. It presents secondary branches that arise from the nodes from the second year of life.

Flowering occurs from late summer to early fall, when plants are most easily recognized due to the large, dense flower feathers that develop on top of the canes. The plumes can grow up to 3 feet (0.9 m) in length.

Figure 3. Illustration. Source: wikipedia.org. Illustration_Arundo_donax0.jpg

Reproduction

Its dominant reproduction is vegetative and occurs through its rhizomes, from which both roots and buds are generated that form stems. The rhizomes germinate at any age and under very varied environmental conditions.

New plants can also emerge directly from the buds of the nodes on the fallen stems to the ground.

Habitat

A. donax generally inhabits grasslands and wetlands in the form of colonies that disperse along surface or groundwater sources. These colonies are called reed beds and are sensitive to frost.

This plant species has the ability to adapt to changes in external conditions and to different types of soils, be they sandy or clayey, even dry and not very fertile. For this reason, it is usually an invasive plant of many types of ecosystems in a wide variety of climatic zones.

Distribution

A. donax is believed to have originated thousands of years ago in Asia, North Africa, and the Middle East, where it was even cultivated for its usefulness. Today it is found in the tropics and warm temperate zones of both hemispheres.

It can be found commonly in the Caribbean region, southern Europe, the Mediterranean (where it is the tallest grass), North Africa, the western Pacific and in the state of California in North America.

Applications

Since ancient times

The cane was used in the past in the construction of houses, to make roofs (it was placed between the tiles and the beams or as a roof treated with other materials) and roofs, floors and internal partitions. It was also used in the manufacture of fences and windbreaks.

Hunting tools, various utensils (such as baskets and wrappers), blinds and other decorative elements have also been made with the stems and fiber of this plant.

Bioconstruction

Nowadays, cane is considered as a building bioconstruction material, due to its low environmental impact and its low relative cost. Cane is a resistant, flexible, durable and accessible element in areas where it grows in abundance (even as an invasive plant).

In green building, it is about recovering its old uses. Cane fiber is also used in the making of bricks with agglomerates of other materials, such as clay, and in insulation along with other biomaterials.

Biofuel

The reed beds of A. donax -as well as other invasive grasses- are considered promising biomass crops for energy production, and also reduce CO ₂ emissions through their fixation by photosynthesis. Particularly in the Mediterranean areas it is of great interest, because it is the species that presents the highest yield.

One of its advantageous characteristics as a biomass producer is its high capacity to expand over a large area. It also has a very high yield, presenting high productivity per planted area (up to 80 canes per m ²).

Under optimal conditions of bioavailability of nutrients and insolation, its shoots can grow up to 10 cm per day. It can be harvested annually, for more than 20 years, without the need for replanting during that period.

In turn, A. donax has a low demand for inputs, since it recycles nutrients through the rhizome and is resistant to the abiotic and biotic stress of the environment.

Industrial uses

In industry, A. donax is used as a source of cellulose for the manufacture of paper and cardboard. Its dse fiber is also being used recently as a mechanical reinforcement additive in new composite materials.

The root is used to produce new adsorbent materials with excellent properties and as a precursor to activated carbon prepared with phosphoric acid.

Bioindicator and phytostabilizer of heavy metals

A. donax is considered a bioindicator of heavy metals, since it has been shown that its biomass reflects the concentration of some heavy metals present in the soil, such as lead (Pb), chromium (Cr) and zinc (Zn), among others.

In addition, common sugarcane can prevent the leaching of these heavy metals and their impact on groundwater. For this reason, it is considered a phytostabilizer of these heavy metals.

Some research works also report the species A. donax as a potential phytoremediator in waters contaminated with arsenic and soils with cadmium.

Musical instruments

The common reed is used in the construction of wind musical instruments such as the Andean panpipe. It is also used to make parts of other air instruments, such as the reeds of the saxophone, clarinet, bassoon, oboe and the strings of stringed musical instruments.

Edible uses

The leaves and stem of A. donax are used as a condiment and preservative in numerous Spanish preparations of tomatoes, pickled peppers, to harden olives, among others. The fleshy part of the young shoots are eaten for their sweet taste. It is also used as animal fodder.

Medical uses

The leaves, stems and rhizomes of this plant are attributed numerous benefits, being used as a diuretic, blood cleanser, antidiabetic, reducing the production of excessive breast milk, among many other functions. It is also used to reduce alopecia (hair loss).

However, consuming it in excess can affect breathing and lower blood pressure.

References

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2. Corno, L., Pilu, R., and Adani, F. (2014). Arundo donax L.: A non-food crop for bioenergy and bio-compound production. Biotechnology Advances, 32 (8), 1535–1549. doi: 10.1016 / j.biotechadv.2014.10.006
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6. Seawright, EK, Rister, ME, Lacewell, RD, McCorkle, DA, Sturdivant, AW, Yang, C., & Goolsby, JA (2009). Economic Implications for the Biological Control of Arundo donax: Rio Grande Basin. Southwestern Entomologist, 34 (4), 377–394. doi: 10.3958 / 059.034.0403
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