The reed is a plant of the Poaceae family. It shows hard and flexible trunks which are knotty, unbranched, up to 3-4 meters high. The trunks are anchored to the bottom through the roots and underground stems that form a lattice in the muddy bottom. In the apex of the stem there is a brown or purplish cob, up to 40 cm long. The reed buds in March and blooms in July.
Thanks to their easy availability and good mechanical properties, the stems of this plant had a very wide use in the past. Traditionally they were used to make thatched roofs, mats, latticeworks, chairs, baskets in agricultural use and fishing weirs. In Sardinia they are used to create the most typical musical instrument: launeddas.
The plant also plays an important role in the treatment of polluted water: they absorb every kind of impurity.