Description of Phragmites australis

Stem-nodes are tan green, dull and rigid; can reach 5 metres (12 feet), hollow stems have a rough texture
Leaf-dark blue-green, bluish grey-green, smooth, tapers from a rounded base toward its top; lance shaped; 20-40 centimetres long and 1-4 centimetres wide
Rhizome-white to light yellow
Seedhead-dense, silky, floral spikelets, purplish at first then become tawny to dark brown at maturity
Growth habit-tend towards mature, dense, monotypic stands
Other-Leaf sheath do not fall off, litter from the previous year has remnant leaves

Sources: