Vast tracts of the country have been, however, deforested by fire, and these are covered by the tall ineradicable grass, Imperata arundinacea.
Phalaris arundinacea, is a reed-grass found on the banks of British rivers and lakes; a variety with striped leaves known as ribbon-grass is grown for ornament.
Ammophila arundinacea (or Psamma arenaria) (Marram grass) with its long creeping stems forms a useful sand-binder on the coasts of Europe, North Africa and the Atlantic states of America.
The beaches and lower lands are covered with a dense growth of tussock grass (Spartina arundinacea), 8 to 10 ft.
The forms commonly grown are those striped with yellow or creamy-white, and known as arundinacea variegata and elegantissima.