Article posted: 11/22/2012 6:34 AM

Is giant reed a ‘miracle plant’ or the next kudzu?

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A worker from the San Diego River Conservancy sprays previously-mowed, re-sprouting Arundo donax in Santee, Calif. California has spent more than $70 million trying to eradicate the invasive, self-propagating perennial.

Dendra Inc.

Farming Director Sam Brake shows a "rhizome" from an Arundo donax plant in a test plot near the Biofuels Center of North Carolina in Oxford. It's fast-growing and drought-tolerant, producing tons of biomass per acre. It thrives in even the poorest soil and is a self-propagating perennial, so it requires little investment once established.

Associated Press

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Hand crews cut and haul Arundo donax to higher areas where mowers can grind it in Bonsall, Calif. California has spent more than $70 million trying to eradicate the invasive, self-propagating perennial.

Dendra Inc.

About this Article

To people in the renewable fuels industry, Arundo donax — also known as "giant reed" — is nothing short of a miracle plant. It's fast-growing and drought-tolerant, producing tons of biomass per acre. It thrives even in poor soil and is a self-propagating perennial, so it requires little investment once established.