In the 1820s, giant reed reached California for erosion control; two centuries later it crowds out native plants and has doubled or tripled wildfire fuel in parts of Southern California
The plant can grow about 4 inches a day and reach a mature height of 25 feet in about 12 months A plant brought to California nearly 200 years ago has become a serious invasive weed in parts of the state. Giant reed, also known as arundo, was first planted in California in the 1820s…