Provenances and properties of thatching reed (Phragmites australis)

The common wetland plant reed (Phragmites australis) is a traditional thatching material and reed thatched houses are substantial cultural parts of the Baltic and North Sea landscapes. Durability of reed and thus life expectancy of thatches is partly determined by properties of the building material. However, there is no comprehensive research work about properties of thatching reed. Therefore this study was performed and a total number of 214 reed bunches from German and Dutch providers was characterized concerning provenances, harvest years, morphological properties and chemical composition. Examined reed bunches originate from 12 different countries in Europe and Asia and were predominantly harvested during the winter seasons in the sampling year or the year before. Mean culm diameters of bunches varies between 2.4 and 7.7 mm. Main dry matter component is crude cellulose (51.5 +/- 2.3 %), followed by crude hemicellulose (26.9 +/- 2.3 %) and crude lignin (11.9 +/- 1.3 %). Crude ash shows a range from 0.69 to 8.07 %, and especially high calcium content seems to be related to considerable contamination with cattail (Typha spec.). C/N ratio varies noticeably between 76 and 963 with a mean of 290. Results indicate the high variability of thatching reed concerning the values of its properties, probably because of multiplicity of influencing factors. With its exceptional large sample size, this study provides the informational background for further research about durability of thatching reed and life expectancy of reed thatches.