About 260 species reed grass distributed in the extratropical zones of both hemispheres, partly in the highlands of the tropics. They grow in forests, meadows, swamps, and often dominate. Veiniki- relatively large (50-140 cm tall) perennial herbs having a paniculate inflorescence, fluffy during ripening seeds from numerous thin hairs located on the axis of the spikelets. Most common ground reed grass, growing in large thickets, especially on sandy soils, and reed reed (forest), with a characteristic beard of short hairs on the underside of the base of the leaf blade, forming large tufts in coniferous and mixed forests. In grass swamps and wet meadows it often dominates graying reed grass with a grayish inflorescence. All reed grass- coarse forage plants.
Ground reed grass (Calamagrostis epigeios (L.) Roth.)
Synonyms. Arundo epigeios (L.) Roth. Perennial plants 80-160 cm tall, with long rhizomes, at the base with numerous sheaths of dead leaves. Stems with 2 spaced nodes, straight, strong. The leaves are usually wide (up to 10 mm) and flat or narrow and curled, gray-green, hard, rough. Panicles up to 30 cm long, 1.5-6 cm wide, dense, covered with small spines, with short branches deviating from the axis of the inflorescence during flowering and later. Spikelets are 5-7 mm long, narrowly lanceolate, greenish or purple. The glumes are almost equal to each other, long awl-shaped at the apex, comb-rough along the keel. The lower floral scales are 1.5-2 times shorter than the spikelets, almost completely membranous, on the callus with hairs almost twice as long as the scales, on the back with a straight thin spine extending from the middle of the scales. The rudiment of the spikelet is absent. Apomict. Flowering - June, fruiting - July. 2n=42, 56. Distribution. The European part of the former USSR, the Caucasus, Central Asia, Siberia (except for the northeast), the Far East. Ecology. In meadows, in sparse forests, among bushes, on sand and pebbles. Economic importance. Coarse forage grass is not High Quality.Description of appearance: Flowers: The panicle is usually dense, 18-22 cm long and 30-40 mm wide, green or slightly lilac, with bristly branches. Spikelets (5)5.5-7(7.5) mm long; the upper glume is no more than 1 mm shorter than the lower one; the lower lemma is about 4.5 mm long, with a straight awn about 3 mm long, emerging near the middle of the back of the lemma and barely exceeding it; callus hairs are almost twice as long as flowers, up to 7-9 mm long. Leaves: Leaf blades up to 40 cm long and 2-8(12) mm wide, dense, rough, usually bluish-green; vaginas are bare or hairy; tongue 5-8(12) mm long. Height: 80-150(180) cm. Stem: The stems under the panicle are rough, with 3-5 nodes spaced. Root: With a long, cord-like thick rhizome. Flowering and fruiting time: Blooms in July, bears fruit in August. Lifespan: Perennial plant. Habitat: Ground reed grass grows in dry, often pine, forests, on dry meadows, forest edges, clearings, burnt-out areas, embankments, riverbed banks, along roads, in ditches, mined-out peat bogs; often forms extensive thickets. Distribution: Palaearctic species, found as an alien plant in many extratropical countries. One of the widespread types of reed grass, widespread throughout Russia. Addition: Reproduces and spreads by seeds and vegetatively. A polymorphic species, represented on the territory of Russia by several subspecies, differing mainly in the size of spikelets and glumes. Eaten on pastures by cattle before flowering; produces coarse hay. Straw is a material for weaving mats, bedding, roofing...
Calamagrostis canescens (Web.) Roth. - Veynik graying. Synonyms. C. lanceolata Roth, C. lithuanica Bess., Arundo canescens Web., A. calamagrostis L.
Biology and morphology. Perennial herbaceous plant. Stems 70-130 cm tall, branched. The leaves are 2.5-5 mm wide, narrow-linear, flat, slightly rough, glabrous or covered with long and thin hairs on the upper side. The panicles are sparse, drooping, 10-12 cm long, 2-3.5 cm wide. Spikelets 4-5 mm long, violet-colored, spikelet scales only along the carina with very short spines. The lower floral scales are broadly lanceolate, with a very poorly developed, often almost completely reduced awn, extending in their upper third. The callus hairs are slightly longer than the flower scales. The callus hairs slightly exceed half the length of the lower flower scales and by the time the grains ripen, in dry weather, they bend to the sides from the grains, forming a “parachute”. The membranes of the fruits are lined with delicate hairs. The caryopsis is oblong, slightly ovoid, light brown. The rudiment of the spikelet axis is absent or very short (up to 0.5 cm long), glabrous, less often with relatively few hairs. Apomict. Flowering - June, fruiting - July. 2n=28.
Spreading. European part of the former USSR, southern Western Siberia. Ecology. Through floodplain and swampy meadows, through swamps, along damp birch groves.
Economic importance. The food plant is not of very high quality. Description of appearance: Flowers: Panicle 10-15 cm long, dark purple or less often pale colored, with rough branches, often drooping. Spikelets 3-6 mm long; the lower lemma at the apex has two teeth, from the notch of which a straight awn 0.5-1 mm long emerges; callus hairs are slightly longer than the lower flower scales. Leaves: Leaf blades up to 5 mm wide, rough; the tongue is short. Height: 60-130 cm. Stem: Thin, with branches in the axils of the stem leaves, smooth or rough at the top. Root: With a creeping rhizome. Flowering and fruiting time: Blooms in June, bears fruit in July. Lifespan: Perennial plant. Habitat: Gray reed grass grows in damp and swampy forests, grass and sphagnum bogs; often in water and in mass. Prevalence: Predominantly European species. In Russia, widespread in the European part; Occasionally found in the south of Western Siberia. Common view in all regions of Central Russia. Addition: With spaced shoots. Reproduces and spreads by seeds and vegetatively. Harvested before flowering for hay of satisfactory quality. Hoary reed grass is a plant of low nutritional value, but the green leaves are eaten by geese, and in autumn and early winter by hares (Plant raw materials of the USSR, 1957). In the north, it is eaten in large quantities by deer in winter from under the snow (Larin, 1932). According to our observations, under a layer of reed grass in dry areas there are ideal conditions for the life of mouse-like rodents. Economic importance. In forestry, clearings dominated by graying reed grass in the taiga zone of the European part of Russia are considered difficult for the regeneration of major species (Shutov et al., 1967). This is due to the heavy turf and unfavorable conditions created by the reed cover for the development of self-seeding and plantings of spruce and pine (Korkonosova, 1967). The natural process of forest regeneration in such clearings is delayed for decades.
Calamagrostis langsdorffii (Link) Trin. - Weinik Langsdorff. Synonyms. C. purpurea subsp. langsdorffii (Link) Tzvelev, C. canadensis subsp. langsdorffii (Link) Hulten, C. grandis V.Petrov, C. confusa V.Vassil., C. yendoana Honda, Arundo langsdorffii Link.
Biology and morphology. Rhizomes are creeping. Stems up to 150 cm tall, with 4-6 spaced nodes, bare and smooth under the inflorescence, usually branching at the lower and middle nodes. The leaves are 4-10 mm wide, flat, usually strongly deflected from the stem, with a grayish tint on top, glabrous and rough, occasionally with scattered long hairs. The tongues of the upper leaves are 5-10 mm long. The panicles are spreading, with rough branches bearing numerous spikelets. Spikelets are 3.5-6 mm long, grayish-green or dull reddish. The glumes are oblong-lanceolate, covered with numerous and relatively long spines. The lower lemmas are slightly shorter than the glumes, on the callus with hairs equal or almost equal in length to the lemmas, on the back with a thin awn 2-3 mm long, extending near the middle of the lemma or slightly lower and not exceeding the apex of the lemma. The rudiment of the spikelet axis is 0.2-0.7 mm long. Apomict. 2n=28, 42, 56, 70.
Spreading. North of European Russia, Siberia, Far East, southeast of Central Asia. Ecology. In wet and damp valley meadows, among bushes, on forest edges and burnt areas, along the banks of reservoirs.
Economic importance. Forage grass good quality when used before flowering and hardening. Description of appearance: Flowers: Panicle 10-20(30) cm long, compressed before and after flowering, with rough branches and numerous spikelets. Spikelets are 3.5-6 mm long, grayish-green or reddish; spikelet scales are covered with numerous elongated spines; lower flower scales on the back with a thin awn 2-3 mm long, extending from the middle of the back or slightly lower and not protruding from the spikelet; callus hairs are almost as long as flowers. Leaves: Leaf blades 3-10 mm wide, spreading, grayish above, glabrous or with scattered long hairs; the tongue of the upper leaves is 5-10(12) mm long, pubescent with short hairs on the back, often torn. Height: 75-150 cm. Stem: Stems are bare, with 4-6 spaced nodes, branching in the lower half. Root: Long rhizomatous plant. Flowering and fruiting time: Blooms in July, bears fruit in August. Lifespan: Perennial. Habitat: Weinik Langsdorf grows in damp forests, alder forests, along swampy banks of forest streams and rivers, and the banks of reservoirs; can form clean, fairly large thickets, especially in Siberia and the Far East. Prevalence: Widely distributed in the forest zone of the northern hemisphere, including almost the entire territory of Russia. Addition: Reproduces and spreads by seeds and vegetatively. A polymorphic species, represented in Russia by several subspecies, differing in the size of the spikelets, the location of origin and the size of the awn. Fodder cereal; harvested before flowering, it is eaten satisfactorily in hay. Livestock eat its grass also before flowering, and deer feed on wintering shoots.
Reed reed (Calamagrostis arundinacea (L.) Roth) Reed reed Description of appearance: Flowers: Panicle up to 25 cm long, moderately spreading during flowering, later compressed. Spikelets are 4-6.5 mm long, green or pinkish; the lower flower scales are elongated-lanceolate, jagged at the apex, with an geniculate awn 5-9 mm long, extending from the lower third of the back and protruding from the spikelet. Callus hairs are 4-5 times shorter than the flower. Leaves: Leaf blades are bright green, shiny, 4-7 mm wide, harsh, with a beard of short hairs at the base. Height: up to 100-150 cm. Flowering and fruiting time: Blooms in June, bears fruit in July. Lifespan: Perennial plant. Habitat: Reed reed grows in coniferous and mixed forests, in clearings, and clearings. Distribution: Euro-Siberian-Iranian-Turanian forest species. In Russia, it is widespread in the European part, in the south of Siberia. Common in all regions of Central Russia. Addition: Turf plant. Reproduces and spreads by seeds. Satisfactorily eaten in hay, mowed before flowering. Under similar conditions, in some areas of the forest zone in the European part, in the south of Siberia and the Far East, the close reed grass (Calamagrostis obtusata Trin.) is found, with slightly longer callus hairs, which are 2-3 times shorter than the lower flower scales, and with slightly curved awns that do not protrude from the spikelets.
Unnoticed reed grass (Calamagrostis neglecta (Ehrh.) Gaertn., Mey. et Scherb.) Unnoticed reed grass Description of appearance: Flowers: Panicle 6-15 cm long, narrow, up to 20 mm wide. Spikelets are 2.5-3.5 mm long, usually grayish-violet, less often green; spikelet scales are very rough, shortly pointed; the lower lemmas are 2-2.7 mm long, with a straight awn extending from the lower third or middle of the back and usually not exceeding the apex of the lemma. Callus hairs are several times shorter than the lower flower scales. Leaves: Leaf blades 1.5-3 mm wide, often rolled along, bristly, glabrous at the junction with the vagina. Height: 20-100(150) cm. Stem: Stems are spaced, often reddish at the base. Root: With a creeping rhizome. Flowering and fruiting time: Blooms in July, bears fruit in August. Lifespan: Perennial plant. Habitat: Unnoticed reed grass grows in swamps, damp and swampy meadows, and damp forests; usually on peaty soils, more often in non-chernozem areas. Distribution: Widely distributed in the extratropical part of the northern hemisphere, including most of Russia. Addition: Reproduces and spreads by seeds and vegetatively. It is represented on the territory of Russia by several subspecies, differing mainly in the size of the spikelets. Fodder cereal; cut before flowering, produces good quality hay for cattle and sheep; in early summer it is eaten by all herbivores.
Veinik Pavlova - Calamagrostis pavlovii Roshev. Family (Latin): Poaceae Family (Rus): Cereals Synonyms (Latin): Calamagrostis obtusata, Calamagrostis purpurea, Calamagrostis varia, Calamagrostis krylovii Morphological description: Creeping rhizomes. Stems up to 170 cm high, leafy. The leaves are 4-10 mm wide, flat, grayish-green on the upper side, rough. Panicles 15-20 cm long, up to 5 cm in diameter, compressed. Spikelets 3.5-5 mm long, purple, less often greenish, lanceolate. Lower flower scales approx. 3.5 mm, slightly longer than the top ones. The spine originates in the lower 1/4-1/3 of the dorsum, is weakly geniculate and only slightly exceeds it. Callus hairs are equal to 2/3-3/4 of the length of the lower floral scale. Rudiment of the spikelet axis approx. 1 mm long, with hairs 2-3 mm. Habitat: In forests and forest meadows, rises to the alpine belt. Administrative regions of Siberia: Tomsk region. Kemerovo region. Altai Republic. Krasnoyarsk region. Khakassia. Tuva. Irkutsk region Buryatia. Outside Siberia: Central Asia, Mongolia.
Among the perennial ornamental grasses, reed grass deserves the gardener's undoubted attention. This cold-season grass, about one and a half meters tall, blooms already in July and
decorates the garden almost all season, and even in winter.
Reed grass (Calamagrostis acutiflora) is a natural hybrid between ground reed grass and reed grass. The natural species is aggressive and easily conquers new territories with the help of underground shoots. Acute-flowered varietal reed grasses do not have such shoots and form a compact clump with a height, depending on the variety, from 1 to 1.5 meters. Acute-flowered reed grass is one of the most spectacular cereal grasses for the garden, while it is unpretentious, winter-hardy, drought-resistant and shade-tolerant.
Acute-flowered reed grass is a cold-season grass, which means it grows in early spring, and by July long spikelets up to 20-30 cm appear.
Acute-flowered reed grass. Common varieties:
1. Reed grass "Karl Foester"
- height about 2 meters, length of panicles (spikelets) up to 30 cm. Dark green long leaves are gracefully curved, their color remains until late autumn. Lush panicles at the beginning of dissolution have a pinkish tint, subsequently turn brown, and then fade to a wheat color. The inflorescences are sterile and do not produce seeds. The shoots are very strong and do not wither from the wind.
2. Acute-flowered reed grass "Overdam"
- this variety is lower than “Karm Foster”, about 150 cm. And the shoots are less durable. The leaves are variegated, with a cream stripe in the middle. Variegation is especially pronounced in cool weather.
Acute-flowered reed grass is a delightful plant for creating vertical accents in a flower garden. You can also use it as a backdrop in the background of a flower garden. An excellent plant for creating a natural garden. It will look beautiful near a pond, in combination with stones.
New Belgian and New England, and other tall perennials that bloom in late summer - autumn are suitable as companions for reed grass.
Acute-flowered reed grass. Growing and care
This is not only a spectacular plant, but also not whimsical. It can grow in the sun and in partial shade; in shading, the length of the panicles will be slightly shorter.
It is unpretentious to soils; it only does not tolerate swampy, waterlogged soils. Short-term flooding, as well as short-term drought, is easily tolerated.
In our climate, it needs light shelter for the winter (in case of a particularly harsh winter).
In summer, during hot weather, the leaves may lose their decorative properties, and if air circulation is difficult, they may become rusty. They can be trimmed without disturbing the flower shoots. By autumn the leaves will grow back.
Calamagrostis epigeios, called ground reed grass in Russian, is probably familiar to every European living in a temperate climate zone. Dense islands of fluffy spikelets are found in abundance in meadows and forests. They are widely used in ornamental gardening and for arranging bouquets; some medicinal properties of this plant are also known. At the same time, reed grass is a weed that greatly complicates the process of natural forest regeneration.
What is the name of ground reed grass?
The Latin name of the genus of this plant comes from two words in Greek: “calamos” and “agrostis”, which means “reed” and “bentgrass”. It came into scientific use thanks to Dioscorides, an ancient Greek naturalist and military doctor.
Among the people, ground reed grass is often called voynik, belograss, fireweed, forest broom or broom, kunisnik, kutochnik, ocheret, devil's grass, firewort, perepelevitsa, sukholom, chapolot, chapuga, steppe chapolitsa, mouse, wheatgrass, sucker.
In addition to the ground reed grass, there are other types of reed grass (acute, reed, grayish, compressed), which are also widespread in nature.
Ground reed grass: description
This is a perennial plant with a height of 80 to 150-160 centimeters, belonging to the grass family. It is characterized by a long, creeping, relatively thick horizontal rhizome. It is significant that, even when crushed, but retaining one living bud, the rhizome is capable of giving life to a new plant.
The stems of ground reed grass are strong and straight, rough, and have two widely spaced nodes. The leaf blades are gray-green in color and can be flat and wide (up to 10 millimeters) or rolled and narrow.
The reed inflorescence is a thick lush panicle 20-30 centimeters long, consisting of many spikelets. The spikelets are usually five to seven millimeters long, greenish or purple, collected in thick bunches. The spikelet scales are almost equal to each other. The hairs located under the flowers are almost twice as long as the latter. Characterized by the absence of a rudiment of a spikelet.
Ground reed grass blooms all summer in the morning and bears fruit in August - September. Its fruit is an elongated grain; it falls off along with the bract scales.
Distribution area
Ground reed grass is widespread in many regions of Europe and Asia, mainly in natural zones of temperate climates. It is also found on other continents as an alien plant.
It grows in abundance in the European part of the former USSR, in the southern regions of Western and Eastern Siberia, in the Caucasus, in the south of the Far East, in Central Asia, and in the Crimea.
This plant inhabits mainly mixed and moderately dense, dry meadows, and river floodplains. Prefers sandy, well-drained soil, but is also found in damp bushes and marshy meadows. Loves light. Tolerates salinity well. In places and burnt areas, dense thickets of ground reed grass often form.
In the formation of grass cover, along with ground reed grass, giant bentgrass, some types of bluegrass and other field grasses often dominate.
Medicinal properties
Traditional medicine uses rhizomes and young shoots of this plant as medicine. An infusion of them is recommended for use as a remedy against inflammation. Medicinal raw materials of reed grass are harvested in late autumn or early spring. Rhizomes and shoots should be rinsed with cold water and then dried outdoors in the shade.
A decoction of the rhizomes of ground reed has a diuretic effect and is used as a disinfectant to treat a number of urinary tract diseases caused by infections.
The decoction is prepared as follows: ten to fifteen grams of dry raw materials should be poured with one glass of water. Bring to a boil and simmer for fifteen minutes. Next, the broth should be cooled and strained. The recommended dose is one tablespoon, repeat three to four times during the day.
Useful qualities
In addition to some medicinal properties, ground reed grass has other useful properties. It has a long, strong rhizome, it is “active” and very unpretentious. Due to this, this cereal is often specially sown where there is a need to strengthen sandy soil - on various embankments and mine dumps.
Often this crop is specially grown in gardens as a ornamental plant, as an element of landscape design of the site. Reed grass is very cold-resistant and, if necessary, can withstand prolonged waterlogging. In this regard, it remains decorative until the onset of winter frosts. It does not require shelter in winter.
Cut spikelets of ground reed grass are a beautiful component of winter bouquets of herbs.
Formally, reed grass is considered, but the hay produced from it is of very mediocre quality.
It is also mentioned that it can be used as a raw material for making paper.
Harm to the forest
This type of reed grass is a very aggressive plant. Once introduced into a meadow, it quickly displaces many other field grasses growing there. Invading fresh clearings and burnt areas, it forms such dense thickets in these places that it significantly complicates forest restoration. Because of it, not only self-seeding and undergrowth perish, but even those young trees that have already reached a significant age and height.
Reed thickets contribute to very dry soil. They make it difficult for moisture to penetrate deeply into it. Snow drifts remain on top of the dried stems of this plant for a long time, thereby leading to soaking and suffocation of self-seeding and other crops. In addition, forest areas overgrown with reed grass freeze out more severely at low air temperatures. Mice and other pests breed unhindered in its thickets. Dry reed stems significantly increase the risk of fires. This leads to the fact that in some places ground reed grass is treated like a weed.
There are many plants that we consider or useless herbs, but even they can be medicinal.
Today we will discuss a familiar wild plant - ground reed grass, and also describe its use in medicine and brief description plants.
What it looks like and where it grows
If you have ever walked in the forest-steppe zone, near coniferous or deciduous forests, you could see wild plants that produce a yellow panicle on a long thin “leg”. From afar, you might think that this is a cultivated cereal, but when you get closer, you can see the fluffy inflorescence, which is replete with a large number of small seeds.
Ground reed grass has the following description: herbaceous, which grows up to 150 cm in height, has an erect stem and bluish leaf blades, shaped like leaves. 
The grass can spread over large areas due to the fact that it has a long creeping rhizome. At the ends of the roots, which can reach 3 m, buds form, from which a new plant emerges.
The spikelets, which resemble a sparse panicle, are collected in dense bunches. The fruit is a grain, which is colored light brown.
Important! Reed grass grows in fairly hot climates. Optimal temperature for seed germination-about 30° WITH.
Chemical composition
Now let's talk about what reed grass is rich in and what substances may be responsible for the medicinal qualities of the herb. The composition of the aerial part includes fats, calcium, phosphorus, and magnesium. It is also worth mentioning that the plant contains proteins, i.e. protein. At the same time, talk about chemical composition rhizomes is not possible, since its composition has been little studied. 
Did you know? If only reed grass grows in the fields, then in the process of vital activity and decay in the soil such an unfavorable environment is created that even the plant in question cannot grow in such a substrate.
Medicinal properties and uses
It’s worth saying right away that ground reed grass is not used for the manufacture of drugs in traditional medicine, so there is no specific data related to real medicinal properties, No.
Reed decoctions are used as an expectorant, to treat infectious diseases of the urinary system, and also to fight inflammation. 
It is worth noting that the tops are used to treat the excretory tract, but for expectoration during coughing, a decoction must be prepared based on the rhizome.
Traditional medicine recipes
First, we need to take a sufficient amount of well-dried products and grind them thoroughly. As mentioned above, you can use both the roots and the aerial part, but mixing roots and stems is not recommended, since the dosage may not be calculated, and the usefulness of such a medicine may be reduced. Still, the tops and roots are used to treat various diseases.
Important! The plant is not dangerous if you consume products based on it in reasonable quantities.
Next, measure out 15 g of crushed raw materials and pour in 300 ml of cold water. Then put it on the stove and cook after boiling for about a quarter of an hour. 
The broth should be filtered and cooled before use.
One dosage is suitable for the treatment of diseases: 1 tbsp. l. decoction 3 times a day. It is better to take it after meals so that the stomach does not react negatively to such a medicine.
Did you know? Reed grass is a dangerous plant for coniferous forests and nurseries where seedlings of these trees are grown. The whole point is that reed grass depresses initial stage young trees, thereby destroying forests in their growing areas.
Collection and preparation of medicinal raw materials
Since the herb is not used in traditional medicine, it is impossible to buy the dry version at the pharmacy. You can only buy reed grass from grandmothers in the markets, but you can only guess about the quality of the products.
You will have to look for suitable green plants yourself near the forest, in forest belts or even in the steppe zone. Once you find reed grass, make sure there are no roads, factories or landfills nearby that could poison the air or soil. After all, the plant should heal, not cripple. 
It is better to do the harvesting at the end of autumn, since at the beginning of spring the weather is not favorable and the plants may be wet. At the same time, drying them in the fresh air will be quite problematic.
You need to pull out the grass along with the roots, however, before laying it out for drying, it is better to separate the roots and wash them separately. Plants are laid out in only one layer in a well-ventilated canopy.
Important! During drying, plants need to be turned over occasionally so that they do not dry out.
After drying, the stems are “packed” into fabric bags that are well ventilated. It is better to place the bags in a dry place, otherwise dampness can ruin all the preparations.
Ground reed grass (Calamagrostis epigeios(L.) Roth.) - A perennial herbaceous plant of the Thin-legged family, 80-150 cm tall with a long creeping rhizome.
The stem is erect, rough in the upper part, hollow. The leaves are alternate, bluish or grayish-green, more or less rough. The leaf blade is linear or broadband (3-10 mm wide), flat or arranged vertically. The sheaths are long, slightly hairy, less often hairy, enveloping the stem. At the site of the transition of the leaf blade into the vagina there is a filmy, elongated tongue up to 9 mm long. The flowers are small, inconspicuous, collected in large erect paniculate inflorescences up to 30 cm long. The panicle is dense, with short, lobed branches. The spikelets are linear-lanceolate (5-7 mm long), single-flowered, green or pinkish-violet with two spikelet scales. A flower consisting of two lemmas, three stamens and one pistil. The ovary is superior with two feathery stigmas. The lower floral scale has a straight, thin spine, usually extending from the middle of its back. At the base of the lower floral scale there are numerous hairs that are almost twice as long as the scale.
The fruit is an oblong grain that falls off along with the flower scales and hairs that surround it.
The marten grows in pine and mixed forests, especially in silviculture (a noxious weed), in clearings and burnt areas. Light-loving plant. Blooms in June - August. Distributed and harvested throughout Ukraine.
Practical use
Braiding, fibrous, medicinal, ornamental, phytomeliorative and fodder plant. From long split stems, the marten and its straw are woven into mats and used to cover the roofs of outbuildings and used for bedding. At the Botanical Institute of the USSR, experiments were carried out to obtain fiber by biologically soaking its leaves and stems. Ropes were made from the fiber, which had good strength indicators (ropes with a diameter of 10 mm could withstand 78 kg with an elongation of 17, and hemp 55-60 kg).
Paniculate inflorescences are suitable for making a broom for sweeping away dust, removing cobwebs and for dry winter bouquets.
The roots have diuretic properties and are used in folk medicine with dropsy.
The feeding properties of the marten are unsatisfactory. It produces coarse hay and is poorly eaten on pastures, even before heading. Hay contains 7% protein, 2.5 fat, 12 ash, 40 fiber, 50% nitrogen-free extractives.
As an ornamental and phytomeliorative plant, it is recommended for sowing on sandy slopes in forest parks, on slopes of highways and railways, as well as for fixing sand.
It should be noted that the antiviral drug “proteflazid” is produced from ground reed grass. It is interesting that, for example, Canadian researchers found impressions of one of the wild cereal grasses in stone. It was 5,000,000 years old. The fact that this plant is not some kind of exotic is very important: after all, there are enough raw materials to make the drug. To obtain the active substance, it is washed out of plants with alcohol, then infused and mixed using special technologies. The drug that contains this plant has a scientifically proven direct antiviral effect on all the most dangerous viruses - influenza, herpes, papilloma, hepatitis, HIV infection.